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Louie's Zine

The Halloween Chronicles: Night 3 of 11 - Before Pumpkins, There Were Turnips

Louie10-23-2026, 06:54 AM · 3 min read · 💬 7Log in to subscribe1 subscriber
Most of us have carved a pumpkin at some point, but apparently the original jack-o’-lanterns looked nothing like the ones we have today.
They were made from turnips.
After looking at some of the old examples, I have to say those things are creepy as hell. Some of them look more like shrunkin’ human heads than vegetables… Lol
Carving turnips and other root vegetables was a Halloween custom in Ireland and parts of Britain. People hollowed them out, carved faces into them, and sometimes placed a candle inside. They could be carried around to frighten people or displayed near homes. The practice was also associated with beliefs about frightening away, unwanted spirits….yet they leave the door unlocked and food on the table 🤦‍♀️
This isn’t just something past down and ghost stories, either. The national Museum of Ireland has documented the tradition, including a carved turnip lantern, representing the kind used in County Donegal around 1900.
But there’s another part to the history of jack-o’-lanterns and that’s the Irish folk tale of Stingy Jack.
Jack wasn’t exactly a model citizen. According to one popular version of legend, he was a dishonest man who managed to trick the devil twice. The first time, Jack convinced the devil to turn himself into a coin so he could pay for a drink. Instead of spending it, Jack’s flip a coin into his pocket alongside a silver cross, trapping the devil until he agreed to a bargain. The second time, Jack tricked him into climbing a tree and carved across into the trunk so he couldn’t get back down. Jack eventually released him after securing another promise that the devil wouldn’t claim his soul.
Apparently, Jack thought he’d outsmarted everybody.
When he died, however, heaven wouldn’t accept him because of the life he’d lived. The devil, keeping his promise, wouldn’t take him either… Dumbass.
According to the story, Jack was left wandering in the darkness with only a burning ember to light his way. He put the ember inside a hollowed out turnip and became known as Jack of the lantern.
Obviously, that’s a folk tale, not a historical account. There are different versions of it, and we don’t know whether it actually inspired the practice of carving lanterns.
The term Jack-o’-lantern also has another meaning. It was used for the mysterious flickering lights sometimes seen over marshes and bogs, also known as will-o’-the-wisps. People had all kinds of supernatural explanations for those lights, including stories about spirits leading travelers astray.
Eventually, the name became associated with carved lanterns.
At some point the turnip was replaced by the pumpkin. As Irish and British immigrants brought their Halloween costumes to America during the 1800s, pumpkins became a popular alternative. They were already grown here, were much larger, and we’re easier to carve than hard root vegetables.
Pumpkin carving became part of American Halloween celebrations during the 19th century, and the orange Jacko lantern eventually became one of the holidays, most recognizable symbols.
I don’t know who first decided to Hollow out to turn up and give it a terrifying human face, but they certainly knew how to make something unsettling.

Question of the night: imagine walking down a dark road in Ireland 200 years ago and seen one of these things glowing in the distance. Are you gonna investigate, or are you getting the hell out of there? 🤔🤣

Comments 7

  1. JVieira 10-23-2026, 07:56 AM

    That was very interesting. Really enjoyed the folklore about Jack tricking the devil. You know they say legends, myths, and folklore always have about an ounce worths truth to them. Makes you really wonder what parts of that Jacks story is truth and what’s embellished.

  2. Dale F 10-23-2026, 08:31 AM

    Carved turnips don’t decay like pumpkins, they dry out and get even more creepy looking. FYI

  3. Louie 10-23-2026, 10:29 AM

    I do not believe in coincidence… There is always a grain of truth in the old stories.
    That’s really cool Dale. I didn’t know that. You’d think with the Research that I did, that would’ve been mentioned.

  4. Dale F 10-23-2026, 10:31 AM

    I just happened to see a lady in TikTok that’s been carving them for a while and she saves them. I’ll try and find it.

  5. Louie 10-23-2026, 10:32 AM

    Oh that’s cool! Please do! I love that kind of stuff

  6. Dale F 10-23-2026, 10:33 AM

    https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTfPEP2u8/

  7. JVieira 10-23-2026, 10:54 AM

    (10-23-2026, 10:33 AM)Dale F Wrote: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTfPEP2u8/

    Well now I want to carve turnips

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