After all, the carved pumpkin has evolved into the modern icon of the one holiday dedicated to fright. It’s no surprise then that each aspect of the journey to the jack-o’-lantern as we know it - the legend of Stingy Jack, marsh lights and the carved pumpkin trick - carries a certain air of mystery. Despite scientific explanations for these flashes, “marsh lights” held their sinister air of mystery for hundreds of years, inspiring even more stories of how they were related to the dead, Bannatyne says. Like all good legends, the tale of Stingy Jack was born from some truth, as a medieval explanation for the “flame-like phosphorescence caused by gases from decaying plants in marshy areas,” as Merriam-Webster’s dictionary puts it. By the early 20th century, carved pumpkins had adopted the name we now use. It was only after 19th century Americans saw the connection between the legend and the spookily lit-up carved pumpkins they were creating that the two came to be seen as connected. In fact, European art from the 16th century used the pumpkin as a symbol for North American “untamed wilderness,” as she explains.īut still, the story of Jack and his lantern has nothing to do with a pumpkin. And the pumpkin itself was a rather sinister vegetable historically, Bannatyne writes. So they used pumpkins for Jack O’Lanterns.“Jack of the lantern,” according to that version of the history, became “Jack-o’-Lantern.”īased on Jack’s tale, there remains a bit of irony in his pumpkin’s symbolic ability for bringing people together. The Irish immigrants quickly discovered that pumpkins were bigger and easier to carve out. In the 1800’s waves of Irish immigrants came to America. They placed a light in them to ward off evil spirits and keep Stingy Jack away. On All Hallow’s Eve, the Irish hollowed out Turnips, rutabagas, gourds, potatoes and beets. The Irish called the ghost of Stingy Jack, “Jack of the Lantern”, later abbreviated to Jack O’Lantern”. From that day onward, Stingy Jack roamed the earth without a resting place, with only his dim turnip lighting the way. Jack hollowed out the Turnip and placed the ember the Devil had given him inside the turnip. It was one of his favorite foods, and he always carried one with him. The Devil tossed him an ember from the flames of Hell, to help Stingy Jack light his way. He asked the Devil how he could leave, as there was no light to see by.

He had nowhere to go, but to wander about forever in the dark Netherworld between Heaven and Hell. The Devil kept his promise and would not allow him to enter Hell. Stingy Jack then went down to Hell and the Devil. Stingy Jack was not allowed to enter heaven. He was told by Saint Peter that he was mean, and cruel, and had led a miserable, worthless life on earth. Many years later, Jack died and went to the pearly gates of Heaven. Then, Stingy Jack made the Devil promise not to take his soul when he died.

As soon as the Devil was in the tree, Stingy Jack trapped the Devil by placing crosses in a circle around the tree. Stingy Jack bought some time, by asking the Devil to climb up the tree and get him an apple. The Devil wanted to take his soul right then and there. Years later, he ran into the Devil by an apple tree. Stingy Jack freed the Devil, only after he agreed to wait before taking his soul. The cross kept the Devil from changing back. Jack-o-lantern, Jack-o-lantern Calabaza Pumpkin Halloween, pumpkin lantern, orange, gourd png 596圆80px 502.92KB four Jack-o-lantern, Jack-o-lantern Pumpkin. But, Jack stole the coin and put it in his pocket where he kept a cross. The devil transformed himself into a coin to pay for the drinks. The Devil offered to buy Jack a drink in exchange for his soul. One day, he was at his favorite pub with the Devil. He took great pleasure in playing tricks on just about everyone: family, friends, his mother, and even the Devil himself. Stingy Jack was a miserable old drunken coot. Many of the stories, center around Stingy Jack. Do you wonder how the Jack O’ Lantern term came to be? The Jack O’ Lantern legend goes back hundreds of years in Irish History.

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