The vegetable associated with purported supernatural attributes during the Halloween season is the turnip. In earlier traditions, particularly in Celtic regions, turnips were carved and used as lanterns, often with grotesque faces, to ward off evil spirits. This practice predates the widespread use of pumpkins for similar purposes.
The importance of the turnip in these Halloween traditions lies in its availability and cultural significance within those communities. It served as a readily accessible material for creating protective symbols during a time believed to be a liminal space where the boundary between the living and the dead blurred. Furthermore, the act of carving the turnip itself may have been imbued with ritualistic or symbolic meaning.
