Did you know that the carving of jack-o’lanterns originated as an Irish tale about a man named ‘Stingy Jack’?
According to the myth:
Long ago, Jack tricked the Devil into promising that he (the Devil) would not bother Jack, and that, upon his death, the Devil would not take his soul. When Jack finally died years later, God would not let him into heaven due to his dealings with the Devil. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately?) for Jack, the Devil was true to his word and would not take his soul either. Jack was sent on his way with a glowing ember in a turnip to light the way through the endless night. Later, people would make their own version of Jack’s lantern out of turnips and put them in their windows to keep Jack (and other evil spirits) away at night. When the Irish in America discoverd pumpkins, they realized that carving them was far easier than carving turnips – and our tradition was born.
To read a nice telling of the story from History.com, click here. Also found on the site are links to other Halloween information, including holiday origins, fast facts, and famous haunts.