Jack o’lantern carving

Learn how to carve a jack o’lantern this Halloween!

Unless you’ve been living in a dungeon, you’ll have seen a Jack o’lantern.
It’s the universal symbol of Halloween, and always appear in Hollywood movies and TV shows set during the season.
But why do we carve pumpkins at Halloween, where should we display them, and how do you carve them? Read on!

Where the jack o’lantern tradition came from

The tradition of carving originated around the myth of an Irish trickster and drunk named ‘Stingy Jack’. As the story goes, Jack invited the devil to have a drink with him, but true to his nickname, he didn’t want to pay for it.

Like many Irish people, Jack did have the gift of the gab though and convinced the devil to turn himself into a coin so Jack could pay for their drinks. But Jack decided to pull a swifty on the devil, and kept the money, putting it next to a silver cross which stopped the devil from reforming.

After he’d had his fun, Jack decided to free the devil under the condition that he would not bother Jack for one year, or take his soul when he passed away. One year later, Jack decided to play another trick on the devil, and asked him to climb a tree to get him an apple. Before he could clamber down, Jack carved a cross in the bark, binding him there. Jack again struck a deal with the devil, telling him he’d let him down if he left him alone for another 10 years.

Years later, Jack died and God, who had watched all this, refused to let Jack into heaven and the devil, annoyed with the trickster, wouldn’t let him into hell. Both sent him to the darkness of the world between heaven and hell with only a burning ember to light his way. Jack put the coal into a carved out turnip and has been wandering the Netherworld carrying the lantern ever since, earning him the name Jack of the Lantern, or Jack o’lantern.

Carving tips

Even five years ago, you’d be lucky to find a carving pumpkin in Australia at Halloween. Now you can walk into your local supermarket or fruit store, and chances are they can help you out. But finding them is one thing, carving is another. There are some simple rules to follow when carving your lantern.

USE THE RIGHT TOOLS: If you decide to use your best, sharpest knife, you’re probably going to be able to make your own horror movie when you’re finished; pumpkins ‘bleed’ when they’re cut, making them quite slippery so stick to a proper carving kit – and keep your fingers.

START SIMPLE: Like most things, practice makes perfect when carving your Jack o’lantern. Start with a simple design and when you’re learning to get the hang of it, you then start to create more complex designs.

TAKE YOUR TIME: Even in the warmer Australian climate, you pumpkin will keep once cut for at least a few days, so don’t leave carving until the last minute when you’ll be rushed and risk injury, or end up with a really dodgy looking Jack o’lantern.

KEEP AN EYE ON THEM: Once you’ve carved your masterpiece, put a lit tealight candle inside to light it up, but never leave your lit Jack o’lantern unsupervised indoors and take the lid off to prevent it catching on fire. A safer option are battery powered tealight candles that last for ages and even flicker to give your pumpkin a truly eerie appearance. You can leave these unsupervised without fear of burning your house down.