Carving Jack O’ Lanterns from pumpkins at Halloween has become a staple in the United States and in other countries, but the tradition of carving Jack O’Lanterns actually originated in Western Europe.
The tale of the Jack O’Lantern likely started in Ireland. There are many versions of the tale of how the Jack O’Lantern came to be, but most of them involve an old man named Stingy Jack. Stingy Jack was very wise and crafty. In the Irish folk story, Stingy Jack convinced the Devil to turn himself into a coin that Jack would then use to get others to commit sins. In one such story, according to Wikipedia, Jack gave the coin to Christians who he had recently stolen from. As part of this particular plan, once the Christians obtained the coin, the Devil would disappear and the Christians would begin fighting among each other over the missing coin. The Devil liked and agreed to the plan, and turned himself into a coin.
Now, instead of giving the coin to the Christians, Stingy Jack put the Devil (coin) into his pocket where he also had a cross. The cross removed all of the Devil’s powers, and the Devil was trapped in Stingy Jack’s pocket. Stingy Jack told the Devil that he would only let him go on only one condition – that when Jack died the Devil would not take his soul. The Devil agreed and Jack set him free.
Years later, when Jack died he went to the entrance of Heaven. Saint Peter didn’t allow Jack into Heaven because of how conniving and stingy Jack had been in life. He was thrown into darkness and then he arrived at Hell. The Devil, however, did not take Jack’s soul because of the deal they had made. The Devil gave Jack a single burning piece of coal so that Jack could see in the darkness. Jack placed the coal into a carved out turnip and used the turnip as a lantern. He wanders around for eternity with only the single coal giving him light.
Other versions of the story include Jack tricking the Devil into a tree, and Jack then carving a cross into the base of the tree – effectively trapping the Devil.
For many years, Irish people carved out faces in turnips or other items such as potatoes or gourds in the tradition of Jack’s lantern. The carved out tubers were then set outside to help ward off evil spirits. As the tradition expanded from Ireland to the United States, the bountiful pumpkin began to be used instead of turnips, as they were larger and easy to carve. Today, across Ireland, Scotland, the United Kingdom and parts of North America, millions of people continue the tradition of carving a Jack O’Lantern.
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, by Washington Irving – In the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, the Headless Horsemen throws a burning Jack O’Lantern at Ichabod Crane. The pumpkin strikes Ichabod, and shatters into pieces.
Visits to the Pumpkin Patch – Every year thousands, if not millions, of Americans make visits to a local Pumpkin Patch. There they will pick their perfect pumpkin to carve into a Jack O’Lantern for Halloween.
Pumpkin Carving Designs – A new tradition that has expanded rapidly with the onset of the internet is Pumpkin Carving Designs. Using a template, which may either be drawn, photographed or downloaded from a website, individuals are able to carve out intricate designs. The designs can range from pictures of pets, famous individuals or scary monsters.