Turnips are tough root vegetables so you’ll need a sharp knife to cut the top off. I encourage my readers to give it a try as well!Ĭhoose some large turnips that sit on a flat surface. It was important to me to try my hand at this traditional practice and recall the old customs of my Irish ancestors. What’s more, they grow to large sizes so designs can become quite complex and visible from far away!Īlthough Weretoad and I continue to carve pumpkins each year, turnips entered our tradition a few Samhains ago. In reality, it’s much easier to carve a pumpkin than a turnip. (It’s actually quite amazing how much of an impact Irish immigrants have had on America!) Turnips were, of course, set aside for the pumpkin. This tradition came to America thanks to the Irish immigrants who, despite moving to a new land, could not give up their favorite holiday customs. Mara Freeman suggest it may have something to do with “the early Celts’ veneration of the head, which they considered the seat of the soul” (312). Much of it seems to revolve around protecting a home from the more nasty spirits that are wandering this realm – both fairies, a goblin-like creature called the Puca, and violent, angry dead. There are several theories about the purpose of the Jack-o-Lantern.

Much of what we know is based on Medieval manuscripts, the modern Catholic festival of All Hallows Eve, and conjecture. Writings on the subject of ancient Samhain in general are actually surprisingly scarce. There’s not a lot of evidence that this is an ancient practice. It’s no wonder really – pumpkins have been growing here for generations! In Ireland, turnips were mostly used as Samhain decorations. Our turnips for Samhain this year! Photo by Weretoad, 2012.Ĭarved pumpkins are a ubiquitous tradition here in America.

Turnip jack o lantern