A Brief History of Pumpkins and Jack-o’-lanterns

A Brief History of Pumpkins and Jack-o’-lanterns

Before there were carved pumpkins for Halloween there were carved cabbage roots, beets, rutabagas, and turnips. Yes, it is hard to believe but pumpkins were not always part of Halloween. This is because they were not introduced to Europe until the 16^th century. Pumpkins originated in Mexico and spread throughout North America with the incorporation of agricultural practices. Domestication in the Oaxaca Valley of Mexico, dates as far back as 8750 BCE and 7000 BCE, respectively. Other remnants of seeds were also found in Missouri (4000 BCE) and Mississippi (1400 BCE). This makes pumpkins one of the oldest known cultivated crops.

As Christopher Columbus and other European explores encountered pumpkins they spread them throughout Europe and India. Some of the earliest evidence of pumpkins in Europe comes from the prayer book made for Anne de Bretagne, the duchess of Brittany, between 1503 and 1508. The original name in England at that time was pompion, which was changed to pumpkin by the 17th-century. They soon became incorporated into livestock food and pie fillings and were synonymous with the fall harvest.

How did pumpkins become part of Halloween? Halloween or Samhain as it was originally called has been celebrated for over 3000 years as a harvest festival. So, it makes sense that pumpkins would make there way into the celebration. But why were they carved? Carving roots and vegetables into lanterns dates to ancient times in Ireland and England, but the intent was different during Halloween October 31 – November 1st. During Halloween these lanterns were used to scare away misguided spirits, puka, banshees, fairies and other spirits that could wander the earth freely during this time. Halloween was believed to be when the vail between the living and spirit world was at its thinnest. These vegetable lanterns were carved with terrifying faces to both confuse and scare away possible mischievous spirits. When pumpkins arrived in Europe, they soon became incorporated into this tradition, though they were not commonly grown in Ireland, England, or Scotland due to the shorter cold growing season. But why are they called Jack-o’-lanterns?

As with all good things it starts with a story. The origin of the carved pumpkin or turnip comes from a folk tale found across Ireland, Scotland, and southwestern England. Jack Smith also known as “Stingy Jack” was said to be a mean-spirited blacksmith who loved to drink. One day Jack came across an old man needing help with his cart by a roadside. After Jack repairs the cart, the old man turns into an angel and grants Jack three wishes. This is where things begin to go wrong for Jack who shows his selfish, cruel nature. He wishes for anyone who sits in his favorite chair, plucks a branch from his sycamore tree, or attempts to borrow his smithing tools to be stuck to the spot. After hearing this the angel is greatly disappointed. He grants Jacks wishes, but also bars Jack from heaven. Hearing this the devil sends demons to claim him, but each time he tricks them with his false hospitality. Finally, after numerous failed attempts the devil himself comes to claim Jacks soul. Jack eventually tricks the devil into promising not to take his soul when he dies. Sadly, since he was not welcome in heaven and was promised not to be taken to hell when he died, Jack became a wandering soul destine to walk the earth forever.

When Jack went to hell the devil turned him away but gave him a chunk of coal for his lantern carved from a cabbage root and told him to find his own hell on earth. This lantern was said to throw off an eerie ethereal green light. It is believed this story had its origins in the flickering marsh-lights that appear over bogs and can often lead travelers astray thinking them homes, but instead leads them deeper into the bog.

It was not until immigrants from Ireland came to America that merging of the Jack-o’-lantern story transformed into pumpkin carving. The first known reference to Jack-o’-lanterns comes from Nathaniel Hawthorne’s 1835 story, The Great Carbuncle. The story is about a group of adventurers seeking a precious stone with mystical qualities:

“Hide it under thy cloak, say’st thou? Why, it would gleam through the holes, and make thee look like a jack-o’-lantern”.

Though many may think that the earlier reference, in Washington Irving’s Sleepy Hollow in 1820, would precede Hawthorne’s story, nowhere in the legend of Sleepy Hollow does it make mention of the pumpkin atop the headless horseman being carved although it is assumed.

The most definitive connection between pumpkins, Halloween and Jack-o’-lanterns comes from an article in the Canadian Daily News in 1886:

“The old time custom of keeping up Hallowe’en was not forgotten last night by the youngsters of the city […] There was a great sacrifice of pumpkins from which to make transparent heads and face, lighted up by the unfailing two inches of tallow candle”.

I hope this has helped to answer some of your questions. Please make sure to send your questions about our products or myths, monsters, and magic to info@mythsmonstersandmagic.com.

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Shelly R. Watson

Myths Monsters and Magic Ltd. Co.

www.mythsmonstersandmagic.com

Sources:

History of the Pumpkin – World-Traveler and Halloween Staple. (2020, September 9). Many Eats – Recipes, Equipment, and Cooking Methods. Retrieved October 16, 2022, from https://manyeats.com/history-of-the-pumpkin/.

Pumpkin Origin & History. (n.d.). HerbaZest. Retrieved October 16, 2022, from https://www.herbazest.com/herbs/pumpkin/pumpkin-origin-history.

Squash Seeds Quash Dissent on New World Farming. (n.d.). Www.science.org. Retrieved October 16, 2022, from https://www.science.org/content/article/squash-seeds-quash-dissent-new-world-farming.

Taylor, G. (2017, October 7). Why pumpkins are the symbol of Halloween. Norway Today. Retrieved October 16, 2022, from https://norwaytoday.info/everyday/pumpkins-symbol-halloween/#:~:text=The%20origins%20of%20carved%20pumpkins%20being%20used%20at,not%20to%20take%20his%20soul%20when%20he%20died.

Traynor, J. (n.d.). The story of Jack-o’-lantern: “If you knew the sufferings of that forsaken craythur.” The Irish Times. Retrieved October 16, 2022, from https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/abroad/the-story-of-jack-o-lantern-if-you-knew-the-sufferings-of-that-forsaken-craythur-1.4065773.

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