Did you know that Halloween is a combination of Celtic and Christian celebration?

Referring to the Christian celebration of All Saints’ Day from Oct 31st to Nov 1st and the celebration of end of harvest on Nov 31st.

So how was the concept of jack o-lantern born?

This name likely originally derived from the practice of calling men generically “Jack, Tom, etc.” 

In particular, men who were lower class, were often called generically “Jack” beginning around the 14th century in England. (This practice popped up again in the late 19th century in the United States where “Jack” was used for the name for a man where his real name is unknown). 

Thus, when you see someone carrying a lantern in a distance at night that you see is a man, but you can’t make out who exactly it is, he is literally “man with a lantern”, a.k.a. “Jack of the Lantern” or “Jack O’ Lantern”.  This was also commonly used for a nickname for night watchmen and the like around the same time “Jack O’ Lantern” first popped up.

So why Pumpkin?

It’s been narrated that the origins was from the Celtic practice, where the Irish would hollow out and carve faces into turnips and other vegetables during Samuin (a festival where many of the traditions of Halloween come from). 

After carving the vegetables, they would place candles inside and put them in windows or carry the make-shift lanterns with them as they walked to ward off evil spirits.

Some say that when Irish immigrants moved to the “New World” (aka USA) - taking this practice with them - have discovered Pumpkins and started carving it instead.