Fun Fact: Jack-O-Lantern

The term "jack-o-lantern" is from the Irish folktale about Jack, who was welcome neither in Heaven or Hell, so his spirit wandered at night with just a lantern to light his way. To scare off "Jack" or any other evil spirits wandering on October 31 (Samhain, to the Celts), folks carved turnips or potatos into faces, put a lit ember inside and set these in a window.

Sources: www.museum.ie, www.theirishplace.com