Stingy Jack and his Glowing Turnip

The Jack-o-Lantern is one of the bastions of the Halloween season. Carving pumpkins is a part of many families' traditions around this holiday, and the practice has its roots in Irish folklore. The story begins with a man nicknamed Stingy Jack. He was given the moniker due to his reluctance to pay for a drink, which he convinced the Devil to foot the bill for. He invited the Devil to have a drink with him, and convinced the Devil to turn into coin that could be used to pay their tab. Once the Devil transformed, Jack decided to keep the money and put it into his pocket next to a silver cross he carried. This proximity to the cross prevented the Devil from changing back into its original form. 

After some time had passed, Jack eventually freed the Devil, with the promise that the Devil would not bother Jack for one year. If Jack should die within that year, the Devil would also not take his soul. A year passed, and Jack once again tricked the Devil into climbing a tree to pick a piece of fruit. While the Devil was up in the canopy, Jack carved a cross into the bark of the tree, so that the Devil could not come back down until it promised Jack to not bother him for ten more years. 

Soon after this encounter, Jack died. Because of Jack's previous transgressions, he was not allowed entry into heaven. Jack was also not allowed into hell; the Devil was upset by all of the tricks Jack had played on him, and kept his word that he would not claim his soul. Jack was sent off into the dark night with only a burning coal to light his way through his purgatory. Jack placed the piece of coal into a carved out turnip, and as the legend goes, has been carrying it around with him as he aimlessly roams the earth. The ghostly figure that was once Stingy Jack was renamed Jack of the Lantern, which after some time was shortened to Jack O'Lantern. 

In Ireland and Scotland, where the legend is known to have originated, people began to make their own versions of Jack's lantern by carving scary faces into turnips and placing them in windows or near doors to keep away the wandering ghost from their homes. In England, it was common to use large beets. 

Immigrants from England, Ireland, and Scotland that came to the United States in the 1830's brought with them this practice, and changed the American pumpkin-carving tradition at this time of the year to one uniquely associated with the Halloween holiday. Nowadays, Jack O'Lanterns are typically carved from round, orange pumpkins and are set out on doorsteps and placed in displays for the season. The most commonly used pumpkins for carving are Connecticut Field Pumpkins, which are known as the original commercial Jack O'Lantern pumpkin.

The Halloween season is marked around the Bay Area with the opening of various pumpkin patches. One of the best ways to find one in your area is to get on Yelp and check out their map.

Search for Pumpkin Patches on Yelp

Now that you've got a place to get your pumpkin and a story to tell the kids while you're carving, you're all set for the holiday! 

Happy carving.