jack-o’-lantern
jack-o’-lantern, in American holiday custom, a hollowed-out-pumpkin lantern that is displayed on Halloween.
The surface of the pumpkin is carved to resemble a face. Light from a candle inserted inside can be seen flickering through the jack-o’-lantern’s cutout eyes, nose, and usually grotesquely grinning mouth. The custom originated in the British Isles, where large turnips or other vegetables were used rather than pumpkins.
The world’s heaviest jack-o’-lantern was carved from a pumpkin that weighed 2,749 pounds (1,246.9 kg). The pumpkin was first weighed at the 50th Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in Half Moon Bay, California, on October 9, 2023. It was then sent to Clarence, New York, near Buffalo, where it was carved into a detailed design on November 7, 2023. The carving featured a military-themed tribute that included an American eagle, a service dog, and images honoring veterans.
In Irish folklore, the jack-o’-lantern is associated with the legend of Stingy Jack, a man who tricked the Devil for monetary gain. According to the legend, Jack invited the Devil for a drink and persuaded him to turn into a coin to pay the bill. When the Devil turned into a coin, Jack quickly placed it in his pocket beside a silver cross, which prevented the Devil from escaping. The Devil was freed only after he promised not to bother Jack for a year or claim Jack’s soul after death. A year later Jack tricked the Devil again—this time convincing him to climb a tree for fruit and then carving a cross on the trunk to trap him. Jack released him only after extracting a 10-year reprieve. Because he was so deceitful, Jack was accepted into neither heaven nor hell when he died. Condemned to wander in darkness forever, he was given a glowing coal to light his way, which he placed inside a hollowed turnip. His wandering spirit came to be known as “Jack of the Lantern,” or “Jack O’Lantern.”
The tradition of carving lanterns to ward off or guide wandering spirits thus began in Ireland, where people originally used turnips or potatoes to make their “jack-o’-lanterns.” Irish immigrants who brought this custom to the United States discovered that pumpkins, which ripen near harvest season in October, were more abundant, larger, and easier to carve. The practice thus evolved and came to symbolize protection against spirits on Halloween.