The origin of the pumpkin jack-o’-lantern is found in Celtic Ireland and has always been wrapped up in Halloween, a festival known in the Irish language as Samhain. …In order to prevent unwelcome guests entering their homes at Samhain, the Celts created menacing faces out of turnips and left them on their doorsteps. …In modern times, pumpkins, rather than turnips, perform the same duties. …According to legend, the origin of the Halloween lantern can be found in the tale of a young blacksmith called Jack O’Lantern who made a pact with the Devil during a gambling session. He managed to thwart the Devil and extracted a promise from him that he would never take his soul. When he eventually died, Jack was refused entry to heaven on account of his drunken, lewd and miserly ways. The Devil, remembering his earlier promise, also refused to allow him into hell. So Jack was condemned to roam the dark hills and lanes of Ireland for eternity. His only possessions were a turnip with a gouged out centre and a burning coal, thrown to him by the Devil.