DUBLIN (CNS) — As the seasonal carving of pumpkins gets underway, an Irish folklife expert said there is evidence that the tradition, which is synonymous with Halloween jack-o’-lanterns in the United States, actually began in Ireland.
Clodagh Doyle, assistant keeper at the Irish Folklife Division of the National Museum of Ireland, told Catholic News Service that records in the folklore archives at University College Dublin document what people traditionally did at Halloween in the past.
One tradition recorded, dating to the 19th century, is the making of Halloween lanterns, usually with a turnip but sometimes a large potato.
However, Doyle threw cold water on the likelihood of finding evidence to link a particular emigrant with taking this tradition to the U.S. “I don’t think we are going to find the direct connection, but we can definitely say they were being made in Ireland,” she said.
The Museum of Country Life in County Mayo, where Doyle is based, has two examples of these lanterns as part of its exhibition on Irish customs and traditions associated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, the predecessor of the modern Halloween holiday.
The ghost turnip, with its pinched angry face, was made for Halloween. The museum has a plaster cast made of the original turnip lantern, which was close to disintegration.
Stay Connected With Us