A jack-o'-lantern (or jack o'lantern) is a carved lantern, most commonly made from a pumpkin, or formerly a root vegetable such as a mangelwurzel, rutabaga or turnip. [1] Jack-o'-lanterns are associated with the Halloween holiday.

Oct 22, 2021 · For protection from Stingy Jack and other apparitions, people in the British Isles began carving faces into pieces of produce—particularly turnips, but in some cases potatoes, radishes and beets....

Sep 19, 2021 · This legend is why people in Ireland and Scotland began to make their own versions of Jack’s lantern by carving grotesque faces into turnips, mangelwurzels, potatoes, and beets, placing them beside their homes to frighten away Stingy Jack and other wandering evil spirits and travelers.

Oct 17, 2024 · Here’s how to make a turnip lantern - and the mistakes I made that you don’t need to. There’s very little in the way of specialist equipment required - just a variety of knives of different sizes...

Oct 19, 2022 · Did you know that turnips (not pumpkins) were the first jack-o-lanterns? Long before the charming pumpkin became our beloved canvas choice for carving at Halloween, the quirky turnip (also called a “Neep” or “Tumshie” or “Moot”) was carved.

Oct 25, 2019 · In Ireland and Scotland, people began to make their own versions of Jack’s lanterns by carving scary faces into turnips and placing them into windows or near doors to frighten away Stingy...

Oct 20, 2016 · Turnip lanterns usually represented supernatural beings and, were used to chase evil spirits. Guisers used them to scare people, while in some cases they were set on windowsills to guard homes against evil.

Feb 12, 2024 · Turnips were the original jack-o’-lanterns during Halloween before pumpkins. They were carved and lit to ward off evil spirits. Halloween has a rich history deeply rooted in age-old traditions, one of which involves the carving of turnips.

Oct 30, 2023 · How to easily hollow out and carve a turnip jack-o-lantern. These traditional European lanterns pre-date pumpkin carving and are scarier!

Oct 18, 2010 · But, try a traditional turnip lantern – or a group of them! They make a wonderful decoration for a small space, and turnips have a magnificent, warty, monster-like quality all their own.