How Carving Pumpkins on Halloween became a Tradition in the U.S.?

Carving pumpkins on Halloween: As fall comes to the US, the flickering, grinning faces of jack-o'-lanterns lighting up porches are some of the most famous sights. Carving pumpkins on Halloween in the U.S. is more than just a scary, fun tradition; it's a cultural event. Reports say that Americans will spend about $834 million on pumpkins in 2025 alone. Almost 46% of the population will take part in this popular tradition. But how did carving pumpkins become such a big part of Halloween in the United States? Jack-o'-lanterns didn't come from the New World. They came from an Irish folk antihero, Celtic festivals, and a big change in the way people used vegetables.

Why Carving Pumpkins on Halloween is a Tradition

The modern jack o'lantern has its roots in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in), which was held over 2,000 years ago in what is now Ireland, Scotland, and the U.K.

• Samhain Festival: Samhain, which happened around October 31st, marked the end of the harvest season and the start of the dark, cold winter, which is often thought of as a time of death. The Celts thought that the line between the living and the dead got blurry on this night.

• Warding Off Spirits: To ward off malevolent spirits (Aos Sí) and wandering souls, people would light bonfires and carry portable lanterns.

• Early Lanterns: These lanterns were initially carved from root vegetables, specifically turnips, potatoes, and beets. Grotesque faces were etched into the hard flesh to scare away any evil spirits attempting to cross over. This was the true, non-pumpkin beginning of Halloween decoration.

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The Origin History of the Jack-o’-Lantern Name

The peculiar name Jack-o'-lantern is directly linked to an old Irish folktale about a notorious figure known as Stingy Jack.

• Jack's Deception: The story goes that Stingy Jack was a manipulative and well-known drunk who tricked the Devil more than once. Jack tricked the Devil into turning into a coin to pay for drinks. Then he put the coin next to a silver cross, which stopped the Devil from becoming a person again.

• The Devil's Revenge: God wouldn't let Jack into Heaven when he finally died because he was so evil. The Devil also kept Jack out of Hell because he held grudges. Jack would have to live on Earth forever.

• Jack’s Lantern: The Devil threw Jack one burning coal from the fires of Hell to light his long, dark journey. Jack made a temporary lantern by putting this burning ember inside a carved-out turnip, which was his favorite food. People started calling him "Jack of the Lantern," which was later shortened to the catchy "jack o'lantern."

The Irish then began carving menacing faces into turnips and placing them in windows or near doors to frighten away Stingy Jack and other restless spirits.

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Why did Americans Start Carving Pumpkins on Halloween?

The change from the small, hard turnip to the big, soft pumpkin is what made jack-o'-lanterns an American icon.

• Irish Immigration: A lot of Irish immigrants came to the United States during the Great Potato Famine in the mid-19th century. They brought their Halloween traditions with them, like the custom of carving turnip lanterns.

• The Pumpkin Solution: When they got to America, they quickly learned that turnips weren't as plentiful or easy to carve as they were back home. They thought the pumpkin, a big, soft-fleshed fruit that grows in North America (a type of squash), would be a better option.

• A New Symbol: People loved the pumpkin right away because it was big, bright orange, and easy to carve. Americans quickly picked up on the tradition. At first, they thought of the carved gourds as part of the general harvest season. By the end of the 1800s, the pumpkin had completely replaced the turnip as the symbol of Halloween, and Halloween in America took on a new, squash-based form.

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Carving pumpkins on Halloween is a mix of Celtic myths, Irish struggles, and American creativity. What started as a serious ritual to keep spirits away with a coal-lit turnip has changed over the years and across continents into the fun, family-friendly autumn tradition we celebrate today. The grinning jack o'lantern has become the most famous face of the spooky season.