Usually pumpkins, but other vegetables or gourds can be used.
The jack o’ lantern has an interesting history. The name comes from an Irish legend about a alHH
farmer named Jack who marked a cross on a tree to trap the devil in it. He agreed to release the devil if the devil promised never to let Jack into Hell. At his death, the devil indeed denied Jack entry to Hell. With his past behavior ensuring that Heaven was not an option, Jack was left with nowhere to go. He carved a lantern from a turnip (a common practice in Britain) and walked the earth looking for a resting place. He became known as “Jack of the Lantern.”
It is believed by many people that the association between Halloween and jack o’lanterns began with the Irish, who used them to ward off evil spirits at Halloween. This claim has been disputed by some historians who believe that the link between carved pumpkins and Halloween emerged in North America. North Americans were in the habit of carving pumpkin lanterns at the time of harvest. In the 1830’s the term “jack o’lantern” started being used to describe these lanterns, and their association with Halloween began about 30 years after that. The term is not commonly used outside of North America.