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Long before pumpkins, people in Ireland and Scotland carved hollow turnips like this one. Inside, they placed a bit of glowing ember or a stub of candle to scare away wandering spirits on Samhain night.
The strange, grim face represents a ghostly figure or a restless soul. Some lanterns were said to depict “Jack of the Lantern,” a trickster spirit doomed to roam between worlds, carrying his own light.
Turnips were common in Ireland — hard to carve but easy to find after harvest. When Irish immigrants brought the custom to America, they found pumpkins instead: larger, softer, and perfect for carving.
The tiny light symbolized guidance through darkness — a lamp for spirits finding their way, or for the living to keep them at a distance. Fire and flame carried deep protective power during Samhain.
This humble turnip helped shape one of Halloween’s most famous traditions. What began as a small Samhain charm grew into the glowing jack-o’-lanterns that light doorsteps around the world today.
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