According to Irish folklore, the very first jack-o’-lantern was carved by a man known as Stingy Jack. Sometimes described as a blacksmith and other times as an outright thief, Jack made a bargain with the devil, which meant he was . sent to limbo for his sins when he died. As one last favour, the devil tossed him an ember of hellfire. The lost soul placed this in a hollowed-out turnip, which he then used as a lamp to light his way as he wandered the earth in search of a place to rest forevermore. The story is almost identical to that of the more widely known legend of the will-o’-the-wisp. In fact, it’s like both stem from a broader tradition of wandering spirits, which has its roots in Europe-wide, pre-Christian beliefs.

The image of a candle-lit carved pumpkin immediately conjures up images of Halloween celebrations. But jack-o’-lanterns have only been made from pumpkins since the 19th century, when the Irish moved en masse to America and discovered how easy the gigantic gourds were to carve. Before then, the lamps were made from root vegetables. There are examples of potatoes and beetroots being used in Britain and, to this day, carving sugar beets at Halloween remains a tradition in
the north of France. But by far the most popular choice was the turnip.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED…

a sharp knife

a turnip

a spoon

a pencil

a candle

01 PICK YOUR TURNIP

There’s an art to choosing the perfect turnip for carving. Make sure that it’s not so small that you skin your knuckles when hollowing it out and that it’s big enough to make an imposing lantern. It always helps to choose a turnip that’s as fresh as possible, too — you’ll find that it’ll last longer and smell a lot better.

02 REMOVE THE FLESH

Slice off the top of your turnip — this will become the lid — and, if necessary, level the base so it can stand upright. Now use a scoop, sharp knife or spoon to dig out the flesh until the turnip is hollow, leaving a wall of about 1.5 centimetres. It’ll take a little muscle but you can use the waste to make a delicious supper.

03 THE FACE OF HALLOWEEN

Using a pencil, draw a horrifying Halloween face on your turnip. In recent years, elaborate scenes have been carved into jack-o’-lanterns but preserved examples of early turnip carvings show that they were much more basic. So you can keep it simple or give your artistic expression free reign — it’s entirely up to you!

04 BRING YOUR JACK-O’-LANTERN TO LIFE

Using a very sharp knife, cut out the face of your turnip, following your original pencil outline. Remember to take care while using the blade, though, or if you’re too young to carve, ask someone to help; this is exacting work and you don’t want to end up with a real Halloween horror show on your hands

05 LIGHT THE FLAME

Now that your lantern is carved, put a candle inside. Once it’s safely in place, carefully light the wick and watch your lantern’s face blaze into glorious, terrifying life! You can choose whether to put the lid on or leave it open. Remember that if you do use a lid, you’ll soon be able to smell lightly roasting turnip (yum, yum!).

06 DISPLAY YOUR LANTERN

Congratulations on carving your very own traditional turnip jack-o’-lantern! It’s time to show off your skill, so put it out in your garden, in a window or on display whenever you choose. Now sit back and enjoy a perfectly terrifying Halloween, safe in the knowledge that you’re helping to keep an ancient tradition alive!