It’s Halloween, why are you carving a Turnip?! Can’t you just make a normal Jack O’Lantern like the rest of us?!
Honestly, why are any of us carving anything, especially underwater? It’s because it’s something dumb and different to do, or a friend conned us into going out to do it. But let us talk about it shall we!?
Originally, Samhain (Sah-win), roughly translated to “summer’s end) was a Gaelic seasonal festival that was celebrated through Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man near November 1st. Celebrations started at sunset and continued until the following evening marking the end of summer and transitioning into the winter darker months. This was a period where the boundary between our world and the ‘Otherworld’ was thought to be less secure and ghosts, spirits, and fae were more active and up to mischief. As Christianity continued its takeover, Samhain eventually fell out of widespread practice and was merged with Halloween, All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day.
That’s cool and all Ashton, but that still doesn’t answer the question of why are you carving a turnip?
Calm, yo tits, we’re getting there! Due to the increased presence of mischievous entities, it was believed that carving turnips, or really any root veggies, and using a small bit of wax and wick, or an ember to illuminate the face would help ward off evil and dangerous spirits. They’re nice like that, you’re already being haunted by one devilish creature, you don’t need another tormenting you.
On a slightly more positive, but still creepy note, they can be used to remember the dead and help wandering souls find their way back to the ‘Otherworld’ and find peace.
Lastly, metal lanterns were expensive and would get hot, so vegetable lanterns were often used to light the way for children and people traveling at night. Cause, as we all know, giving children fire is always a grand idea.
As time went on pumpkins became more abundant, were larger, and were much easier to hollow out and carve than woody root vegetables. Turnip lanterns fell out of favour and most people stopped carving them.
In addition to carving the turnip, you can cure salt it, by putting it in a bag and burying it in salt until it is completely dried out over a couple of months. Ensuring that your nightmare head can last for seasons to come!
Lastly, since you asked, jack-o-lanterns are often associated with a man named Stingy Jack. Jack was a figure from Irish folklore that was a terrible, horrible, no good very bad man who frequently tricked and fooled the Devil. In his most cunning trick, he got the Devil to climb up a tree and then trapped him there using a cross and refused to remove it until the Devil promised to not take his soul. Upon his death, Jack was denied entry into Heaven, cause you know, he was kind of a dick, but he could not be sent to Hell due to the agreement with the Devil. He was thus forced to wander the Earth, carrying an ember from Hell that he placed inside of a carved turnip.
Whatever the reason for carving stuff; don’t be rude.
It’s something fun to do to help ward off the encroaching darkness of winter and hopefully Stingy Jack stays far away!
