The fun and freighting faces of the Jack o’ lanterns are a tradition in the United States. Hardly a home exists that does not have at least some form of this decoration near their door in October. Thanks to kits and computer programs the faces have become more creative. Some of the kits are so easy that even a toddler can decorate their own Jack o’ lantern.
Jack o’ lantern was not always in reference to a carved pumpkin. In fact the original carved lanterns were beets, potatoes, turnips, rutabagas, and gourds. Even before that though the term Jack o’ lantern comes from Jack of the lantern. It was in 1750 that it was first used in print, but then Jack of the lantern was used for a night watchman or someone with a lantern.
