Halloween and the jack-o-lantern
Halloween and Jack-o’-lanterns
Every October, you can see carved pumpkins in front of the houses and on the doorsteps in the United States and other parts of the world. These orange fruits with scary faces and candles inside them are a sure sign of the Halloween season. The practice of decorating “jack-o’-lanterns”—the name comes from an Irish folktale about a man named Stingy Jack—originated in Ireland. They used large turnips and potatoes originally. Irish immigrants took the tradition to America, home of the pumpkin, and it became an important part of celebrating Halloween.
The Legend of „Stingy Jack”
People have been making jack-o’-lanterns at Halloween for centuries. The practice originated from an Irish myth about a man nicknamed „Stingy Jack.” According to the story, Stingy Jack invited the Devil to have a drink with him. True to his name, Stingy Jack didn’t want to pay for his drink, so he told the Devil to turn himself into a coin that Jack could use to pay. Once the Devil did so, Jack decided to keep the money and put it into his pocket next to a silver cross. Because of the cross the Devil couldn’t change back into his original form. Jack eventually freed the Devil, but he had to promise that he wouldn’t bother Jack for one year and, if Jack died, he would not claim his soul. The next year, Jack again tricked the Devil into climbing on a tree to pick a piece of fruit. While he was up on the tree, Jack carved a sign of the cross into the tree’s bark so that the Devil could not come down until he promised Jack not to bother him for ten more years.
When Jack died God didn’t allow him into heaven. The Devil was also angry with him because of the tricks he played and he also promised not to claim his soul, so he didn’t allow Jack into hell. He sent Jack into the dark night and gave him a piece of forever burning coal to light his way. Jack put the coal into a carved-out turnip and has been roaming the Earth with ever since. The Irish began to call this figure as „Jack of the Lantern,” and then, simply „Jack O’Lantern.”
In Ireland and Scotland, people began to make their own versions of Jack’s lanterns by carving scary faces into turnips or potatoes and placing them into windows or near doors to frighten away Stingy Jack and other wandering evil spirits. In England, large beets were used. Immigrants from these countries brought the jack o’lantern tradition with them when they went to the United States. They soon found that pumpkins, an American vegetable, is perfect for jack-o’-lanterns.
