Carving out a legend Traditional jack-o’-lanterns didn’t just fall of the turnip truck

Jack be nimble. Jack be quick. Jack be a turnip on the end of a stick?

If you think jack-o’-lanterns are solely a pumpkin’s domain, you don’t know Jack.

But Hans Peter Broedel does. Broedel, a Halloween historian and assistant professor at Hamilton College in New York, has made it his mission to set the record straight on the holiday’s myths and traditions.

“That’s the problem,” Broedel said. “People make stuff up. … The jack-o’-lantern is a tradition we know was common in parts of England, Ireland and Scotland, and it probably has to do with the feast of All Souls, but it’s hard to say.”

The first reference dates to the late 1400s, when an Englishman living in Ireland told of people lighting lanterns made of hollowed-out turnips on the days before All Souls Day. There is no explanation why they would do such a thing, but who could blame them? When faced with the choice between mashed turnips on the table or a lighted turnip on a stick, many today would choose the latter.

But in the 1400s, the illuminated vegetables could cause quite a stir. In many faiths and traditions, the final days of October and the early days of November are thought to be a time when spirits – good or bad – are unusually active. Bonfires were lit to ward off evil spirits, and some Halloween lore suggests that jack-o’-lanterns, by extension, served the same purpose.

“My guess is, it’s much more likely these things were used as pranks,” Broedel said. “If you can imagine kids walking around carrying little glowing turnips on sticks, people would assume they were the spirits of the dead wandering through the fields. Kids being kids, they’re going to love that.”

The name jack-o’-lantern most likely comes from an Irish folktale in which a miserly man named Jack is denied entry to both heaven and hell, according to Lesley Pratt Bannatyne in “Halloween: An American Holiday, An American History.” The devil punished him by making him walk the earth with a lantern made from a carved turnip and lighted by a coal from hell.

The purgatory bit makes for interesting reading, but Halloween isn’t exactly an American holiday. When Europeans immigrated to North America, they brought their customs, including the religious and secular traditions that would later fall under the umbrella of Halloween, with them.

“Irish and Scottish immigrants celebrated Halloween as part of their ethnic identity,” Broedel said. “Early American Protestants didn’t celebrate Halloween. They looked at Halloween as a Catholic or pope-ish kind of holiday because it’s linked to All Souls Day.”

When the immigrants arrived in America, the country got a new holiday, and they, in turn got a replacement for the turnip. Squash and gourds were a New World thing, and once the Irish, Scottish and English realized how versatile they were, pumpkins became the lanterns of choice.

“Your immediate thought is, ‘Here we have a large, spherical vegetable that’s already hollowed out,” Broedel said. “Pumpkin technology is clearly superior to turnip technology.”

In England, people keep the turnip tradition alive, however. One festival features a carving contest, in which participants hollow out the large, unsavory mangel-wurtzel variety.

Broedel also has tried his hand at turnip carving, and while it’s no treat, it isn’t as tricky as you’d think. You do need patience, a sharp spoon and a chunk of time. It’s a lot of work for a little lantern, but there is one distinct advantage.

“After a couple of days, a pumpkin starts to look pretty bad,” Broedel said. “Turnips don’t shrivel up. After a couple days, they look even creepier than they did originally.”

Jack-o’-lantern tips

Whether you’re carving a turnip, a squash or a plain old pumpkin, here are a few pointers to create a macabre masterpiece.

. What you need: a sharp knife (only with adult supervision, kids); an Exacto knife; a pen or marker; an awl (for more complex designs); a big spoon; a melon-baller (for odd-shaped squash).

. Design cues: Draw a freehand face, ghost, cat or ghoul on your pumpkin or print a template from your computer and tape it to your pumpkin. Let your imagination run wild. If you’re feeling really ambitious, show your political colors by turning your pumpkin into John Kerry, George W. Bush or Ralph Nader. Martha Stewart Holiday and Martha Stewart Living’s October issue have plenty of “gourd” ideas. For information or templates, visit www.marthastewart.com/living.

. Carving how-to: Start by cutting a hole in the top of your pumpkin (or, if you’re incorporating the stem into your design, cut a hole in an inconspicuous location). Scoop out the seeds and set them aside to wash, salt and roast, if desired. If you’re using a squash, you may need a melon-baller to hollow out the narrow parts. If your design has fine details, score the pumpkin skin all the way through with an awl or needle, then cut with a small, sharp knife. Use an Exacto knife for tricky areas or detail cuts. Place a candle inside, light and enjoy.