The story of the "Jack-o'-lantern" pumpkin at Halloween

Pumpkins carved with ghostly faces lit with candles inside are symbols of Halloween. The decoration of pumpkin lamps is “Jack-o’-lantern” – its name comes from an Irish folk tale about a man named “Stingy Jack” (Stingy Jack). Irish immigrants immigrated to the US and brought this custom with them, since then pumpkins have become an integral part of Halloween.

The Story of "Stingy Jack" (Stingy Jack)

People have been making "Jack-o'-lantern" pumpkin lights on Halloween for centuries. This has its origins in an Irish story about a man nicknamed "Mirror Jack". According to legend, Jack invited the Devil to drink with him. Because of his stingy nature, Jack doesn't want to pay for their drinks, so he convinces the Devil to turn himself into a coin that Jack can use to buy alcohol. When the Devil transformed, Jack decided to keep the coin and put it in his pocket next to a silver cross. The frightened Demon could not escape and changed back to its original form. Jack eventually frees the Devil, but on the condition that he won't disturb Jack for a year and that after Jack's death, he won't be able to capture his soul.

The next year, Jack tricked the Devil into climbing a tree to pick fruit. When the Devil climbs the tree, Jack carves a sign of the cross into the trunk so that the Devil can't come down until the Devil promises not to bother him for another ten years.

Not long after, Jack died. According to the story, God did not allow a cunning man like Jack to go to heaven. The Devil kept his promise not to ask for Jack's soul, so he did not allow him to go to hell. He gives Jack coal to light his way in the night. Jack put coal in an indented turnip and roamed the earth. Since then, the Irish call Jack's ghost "Jack-o'-lantern".

Did you know that the original “Jack-o’-lantern” pumpkin lamp was carved on beets, potatoes, or sugar beets?

In Ireland and Scotland, people began to make different versions of "Jack-o'-lantern" lanterns by carving scary faces into turnips or potatoes and placing them in windows or near them. doors to ward off “the miserly Jack” (Stingy Jack) and other wandering evil spirits. In the UK, large turnips are used. Immigrants from these countries carry the tradition of “Jack-o’-lantern” lights when they come to America. There, they realized that pumpkins were a popular American crop that could make perfect lamps, so they used the squashes to make the lamps you see today.