It is a well-known fact that the Irish have made many an impact throughout history, and all over the world... but not too many know that it was an Irishman a1t the stem of one of Halloween’s most important features… the jack-o’-lantern.
There are many things that hint of Halloween, and pumpkins with ghoulish faces illuminated by candles are surefire signs. But did you know that the practice of decorating jack-o’-lanterns originated in Ireland?! Large turnips and potatoes actually served as the canvasses… it wasn’t until Irish immigrants brought the tradition to America (home of the pumpkin!) that it became an integral part of Halloween festivities.
There’s even an old folktale which claims the name “jack-o’-lantern” came from an Irishman… a man named Stingy Jack.
The Legend of Stingy Jack
The centuries-old practice of making jack-o’-lanterns at Halloween originates from an Irish myth about a man nicknamed “Stingy Jack.” According to folklore, Stingy Jack once invited the Devil to have a drink with him, but did not want to pay for his drink (gee, wonder where his nickname came from?) so he convinced the Devil to turn himself into a coin that Jack could use to buy their drinks. The Devil agreed, turning himself into a coin, however Jack decided to keep the money and put it into his pocket next! Strategically, right next to a silver cross which would prevent the Devil from changing back into his original form.
Eventually, Jack decided to free the Devil — but only under two conditions. The first, that he would not bother Jack for one year. The second, that should Jack die, the Devil would not claim his soul. The next year, Jack again tricked the Devil into climbing into a tree to pick a piece of fruit. While he was up in the tree, Jack carved a sign of the cross into the tree’s bark so that the Devil could not come down until the Devil promised Jack not to bother him for ten more years.
Jack died soon after this deal was made, however — as legend tells — God was not going to allow such an unholy individual into heaven. The Devil, angered by the trick Jack had played on him and having kept his word not to claim his soul, would not allow Jack into hell! He sent Jack off into the darkness of the night with nothing but burning coal to illuminate his way. Jack put the coal inside a hollowed turnip, and is said to have been roaming the Earth with it ever since! The Irish began to refer to this ghostly figure as “Jack of the Lantern,” and then eventually it was shortened to “Jack O’Lantern.”
Jack’s decision to place his coal inside a carved out turnip turned into an eventual worldwide practice. 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 in their windows or doorways 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 came to the United States and they soon found that pumpkins, a fruit native to America, made perfect jack-o’-lanterns!
