Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Long before pumpkins and gourds ruled over late October, root vegetables reigned supreme. But it wasn’t just in the name of spooky ...

For many of us, carving pumpkins is an essential Halloween tradition we engage in every year. But have you ever wondered how this custom started? The Halloween we celebrate today traces all the way ...

Pumpkin carving has become such a cherished tradition that the sight of the glowing, orange-faced grimaces every October is more heartening than frightening. But the original Jack-o-Lanterns were ...

Whatever failings our great nation has, it has spawned one extremely messy annual tradition: Carving the Halloween pumpkin. When you read the history of the jack-o-lantern, there’s a lot of blarney ...

The most costumed and spooktacular event of the year is far from what originators celebrated centuries ago on October 31. The modern-day developments of Halloween — with its candy, haunted decorations ...

Most people know about the age-old practice of carving pumpkins this time of year, but what about carving turnips? At the Museum of the American Revolution, visitors can celebrate Halloween weekend ...

The tradition of the "Jack-O-Lantern stems from England, Ireland and Scotland where ghostly flickering lights, a natural phenomenon known as "ignis fatuus" or "fool's fire" might be seen in the ...

Did you know the original jack-o-lanterns were turnips? I found this information on page 31 in the book Death Makes a Holiday by David Skal. Skal explains how ‘Jack’ was a trickster who offended both ...

The name “Jack O’ Lantern” was originally one of the numerous names given to ignis fatuus (Medieval Latin for “foolish fire”), another of which is “Will O’ the Wisps”, basically the odd light that can ...