Stingy Jack and the history of the Jack-o’-Lantern

Carving pumpkins is a fun way to celebrate Halloween, but do we know exactly why we carve these gourd-like orange fruits? Jack-o’-Lanterns were originally an Irish tradition that was brought over to America and has been practiced for centuries. The carving of the pumpkin comes from an Irish myth about a man known as Stingy Jack.

Stingy Jack played unfriendly jokes on everyone and anyone. One night, Stingy Jack invited the devil to have a drink with him, but he did not want to pay for it. He convinced the devil to turn himself into a coin, so they could purchase the drinks. After the devil turned into a coin, Stingy Jack put the coin into his pocket next to a silver cross, so the devil could not change back into his normal self. Once Jack finally freed the devil, Jack made him promise that he would not bother him nor claim his soul when he dies.

Stingy Jack did not stop his evil games with the devil. The next year, he tricked the devil into climbing a tree to pick a piece of fruit and when he did Jack carved a cross into the tree, so the devil would be trapped once again at his mercy. Jack told him the only way he would free him and allow him out of the tree is if the devil would leave him alone for ten years and PROMISE not to claim his soul.

After that, Jack passed away, and even though the devil was not happy Jack tricked him more than once, he kept his promise and refused to claim his soul. As the legend is told, Jack was refused at the gates of heaven because he was mean and cruel during his time on earth. This left Jack with nowhere to go.

Jack was lost in the afterworld and is told to be roaming the earth with a burning coal inside a carved out turnip to light his way. The people of Ireland and Scotland started to call his ghostly figure Jack-o’-Lantern.

In order to keep Stingy Jack away from your house on Halloween the people would carve scary faces and object in potatoes or turnips. Once the tradition was brought over to America, the pumpkin started to be used to scare off Jack.

Halloween is right around the corner, so get out your carving tools and keep old Stingy Jack away from your house this year.