Jack O' Lantern

No Halloween would be complete without a ghoulish face starting out at us from the hollowed-out body of a pumpkin. Every year around 44% of Americans by pumpkins for Jack O’ lantern carving spending close to four hundred million on the orange squash.   

But what if I were to tell you that the pumpkin was not the original choice for these spooky lanterns. You see, Jack O’ lanterns originated in Ireland while the pumpkin grew in North America. Instead, the lanterns were made from turnips, potatoes, and gourds.  

The creation of the Jack O’ lantern can be traced back to1500s Irish folklore and the tale of Stingy Jack. There are several versions of the tale, but all agree that Jack played a trick on the devil and ended up paying for it. One legend claims that Jack invited the devil to have a drink with him. Living up to his name, Jack did not want to pay and told the devil he could have his soul if he paid for the drinks. The devil agreed and turned himself into a coin, which Jack slipped into his pocket next to a silver cross. 

Another legend says Jack tricked the devil into climbing a tree to get an apple. While the devil was in the tree, Jack wrapped a cross around the trunk trapping the devil. In both legends, the only way Jack would free the devil was to make him promise that the devil would not collect his soul once Jack died. 

Years later after Jack’s death, he stood before God but was not allowed into heaven due to his sinful life. Angry at the trick Jack had played on him, the devil decided to keep his promise to Jack and not take his soul into hell. Bared from both Heaven and Hell Jack asked how he was supposed to see in the darkness between the two. The devil mockingly tossed a burning ember to the ground at Jack’s feet. Jack placed the coal into a carved-out turnip (his favorite food) and began to endlessly wander the earth looking for a resting place.

The Irish called Jack “Jack of the Lantern” that was later abbreviated to Jack O’ lantern. They placed lights into hollowed-out turnips to keep evil spirits and Stingy Jack away from their homes. Irish immigrants brought the tradition with them to America where they discovered pumpkins were larger and easier to carve. The pumpkin was quickly adopted and became the centerpiece of today’s Halloween celebrations.