History of Halloween customs, part 2. In part 1, we mentioned that Halloween is derived from old Celtic pagan customs and came to the U.S. with the Irish. We covered costumes.
Another tradition is the Jack o' Lantern. According to Celtic folklore, Stingy Jack tried to cheat both the devil and God, and when he died, neither would take him. He was doomed to roam the earth forever at night, with a glowing coal in a carved out turnip to light his way. He became known as Jack of the Lantern.
The Celts carved hideous faces into turnips, beets, potatoes and gourds to frighten away Jack and other evil spirits. An example of an original carved turnip from Ireland is attached.
When the Irish came to the States, they discovered that pumpkins were plentiful and much easier to carve. Hence, today's American tradition of jack o' lanterns.