before the pumpkin what vegetable was traditionally carved on halloween
Jack-o'-lantern It is believed that the custom of making jack-o'-lanterns at Halloween began in Ireland.[5][6][7] In the 19th century, "turnips or mangel wurzels, hollowed out to act as lanterns and often carved with grotesque faces," were used at Halloween in parts of Ireland and the Scottish Highlands.[8] In these Gaelic-speaking regions, Halloween was also the festival of Samhain and was seen as a time when supernatural beings (the Aos Sí), and the souls of the dead, roamed the earth. The belief that the souls of the dead roamed the earth at Halloween was also found in other parts of Europe.[citation needed] Jack-o'-lanterns were also made at Halloween in Somerset (see Punkie Night) during the 19th century.[8]
Jack Skellington Jack Skellington is a character and the main protagonist of the 1993 film The Nightmare Before Christmas. Jack is the "Pumpkin King" of Halloween Town, a fantasy world based solely on the Halloween holiday.[2] Jack is voiced by Chris Sarandon.[1][3] Danny Elfman provided Jack's singing voice in the film, although Sarandon has sung as Jack in subsequent productions.