A modern jack-o'-lantern is a carved
pumpkin, although originally large turnips were carved. It is associated
chiefly with the holiday of Samhain and Halloween and was named after the
phenomenon of strange light flickering over peat bogs, called ignis fatuus
or jack-o'-lantern. In a jack-o'-lantern, the top is cut off, and the
inside flesh then scooped out; an image, usually a monstrous face, is
carved out, and the lid replaced. It is typically seen during Halloween.
