Stingy Jack trapped Satan who then agreed not to take his soul. When he died he could not go to heaven (as he had sinned too much) or hell due to the deal he made with the Devil The devil gave him a lump of coal and jack carved a turnip to keep the coal in while he searched for a resting place- becoming Jack of the Lantern
Whilst pumpkin carving use to represent spirits or to ward of evil spirits,
now it is mostly just for fun!
The best pumpkin festivals globally are: