The world is celebrating Halloween, which is Hallow's Eve, on Saturday, October 31, 2026, with costumes, haunted houses, trick-or-treating and spooky-themed celebrations with regional fervour. Children and adults are seen wearing spooky outfits, Washington residents are turning front yards into Halloween displays, houses are being decorated with haunted themes and more, with pumpkins being at the centre of the festival celebrations. But it is not the usual pumpkin we see on a daily basis, so what kind of pumpkin is used for Halloween? It is called a jack-o'-lantern. Interesting, isn't it? Let's understand it in detail.
Which type of pumpkin is used for Halloween celebrations?
Halloween, also known as Hallow's Eve or All Saints' Eve, is one of the most celebrated festivals, mostly observed in Western countries, as it marks the end of the harvest season and welcomes the dark hours of winter. The spooky festival is celebrated with regional fervour, with pumpkin-based themes, as the pumpkin plays the most significant role in the festival because when Irish and Scottish immigrants arrived in North America during the 19th century, they brought their Halloween traditions with them. They discovered that pumpkins, which were widely available in the region, were larger and easier to carve than turnips, and that is how pumpkins came into the spotlight and people started using them for Halloween as jack-o'-lanterns.
About jack-o'-lanterns
A jack-o'-lantern is a carved lantern which is most commonly made from a pumpkin because it's easily available; other options could be mangelwurzel, rutabaga or turnip. The term jack-o'-lantern is not new; it's centuries old. The name was originally used to describe the visual phenomenon ignis fatuus, also known as will-o'-the-wisp.
To make decorative lanterns, the classic, symmetrical orange Halloween pumpkin with a sturdy stem and thin-to-medium walls that are easy to cut is used. An old, traditional heirloom variety of pumpkin is known for its nostalgic shape and classic bright-orange hue. For cooking and baking during Halloween, sugar pie pumpkins (also called pie pumpkins or cooking pumpkins) are the best choice. Jack-o'-lantern pumpkins are usually not used for cooking because they have stringy and watery flesh.
