Here's What Jack O' Lantern Really Stands For, And They're Named After A Person

You may already know that the first spooky carved veggies came from Ireland, where Halloween was invented, and did not involve pumpkins. 

But you may not know that Jack O’ Lantern, the title we give to the glowing gourds, were part of a broader seasonal myth.

Oíche Shamhna, or Samhain, where the walls between this world and the next were said to be extra-thin, was the original event ― and it involved a “real” Jack.

How?

According to the National Museum of Ireland, traditionally, “Candles were placed inside the turnips and they were used to frighten people on the night of 31 October.” 

This was actually Halloween Eve, the night before the main festival. 

“The pumpkin that is prevalent today is an American development of this Irish tradition,” they say ― as is the name. 

“The term, Jack o’ Lanterns, takes its name from the folktale about Jack, who was welcome neither in Heaven or Hell and was destined to wander the countryside forever, with just a lantern to light the way,” they wrote.

So the spectral look of a candlelit turnip was reminiscent of the character ― and the name stuck.

As the Carnegie Museum of Natural History says, this character, also known as Stingy Jack, was associated with a natural phenomenon called false fire. 

“False fire is an actual occurrence — scientifically, ignis fatuss, is known as marsh gas and occurs during the spontaneous ignition of methane created by decaying plant matter in marshes or swampy areas,” they shared. 

Any other traditions we’re missing?

If there’s one thing I wish more countries adapted around Halloween, it’s the Irish tradition of eating báirín breac (barmbrack). 

It’s a tasty loaf cake studded with sultanas, and it traditionally hides a pea, a stick, a piece of cloth, a coin, and a ring (though now they usually only contain a ring wrapped in paper).

Different discoveries in your slice are said to mean different things, though as I say, Irish people only really have the ring (which is meant to mean you’ll be married in the following year, or have good luck) now.

That’s fun, but more importantly, the bread is really, really tasty.