History of the Jack-o-Lantern, the symbol of Halloween
This is based on an old Irish legend about the drunk, Jack. One day he was
out in the woods and tricked Satan into a tree to throw down some fruit.
Once Satan had helped him he carved a cross into the tree and trapped him
there. He then struck a deal that Satan would leave his soul alone when he
died. This back fired when he died since heaven would not take him either.
When he kept bothering the Devil to let him in the Devil gave him a burning
ember instead. He carried the ember in a hollowed out turnip (sometimes described
as rotten) to light his way as he wandered through eternal darkness on the
earth. Eventually this was replaced with the pumpkin in America and became
the modern Jack-o-Lantern.
Another version of the story of Jack
People have been making jack-o-lanterns at Halloween for centuries. The practice
originated from an Irish myth about a man nicknamed "Stingy Jack." According
to the story, Stingy Jack invited the Devil to have a drink with him. True
to his name, Stingy Jack didn't want to pay for his drink, so he convinced
the Devil to turn himself into a coin that Jack could use to buy their drinks.
Once the Devil did so, Jack decided to keep the money and put it into his
pocket next to a silver cross, which prevented the Devil from changing back
into his original form. Jack eventually freed the Devil, under the condition
that he would not bother Jack for one year and that, should Jack die, he
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. Soon after, Jack died. As the legend goes, God would not allow such
an unsavory figure into heaven. The Devil, upset by the trick Jack had played
on him and keeping his word not to claim his soul, would not allow Jack into
hell. He sent Jack off into the dark night with only a burning coal to light
his way. Jack put the coal into a carved out turnip and has been roaming
the Earth with it ever since. The Irish began to refer to this ghostly figure
as "Jack of the Lantern," and then, simply "Jack O'Lantern." 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 into windows
or near doors to frighten away Stingy Jack and other wandering evil spirits.
In England, large beets are used. Immigrants from these countries brought
the jack o’lantern tradition with them when they came to the United
States. They soon found that pumpkins, a fruit native to America, make perfect
jack o’lanterns.
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History of the Jack-o-Lantern, the symbol of Halloween This is based on an old Irish legend about the drunk, Jack. One day he was out in the woods and tricked Satan into a tree to throw down some fruit. Once Satan had helped him he carved a cross into the tree and trapped him there. He then struck a deal that Satan would leave his soul alone when he died. This back fired when he died since heaven would not take him either. When he kept bothering the Devil to let him in the Devil gave him a burning ember instead. He carried the ember in a hollowed out turnip (sometimes described as rotten) to light his way as he wandered through eternal darkness on the earth. Eventually this was replaced with the pumpkin in America and became the modern Jack-o-Lantern. Another version of the story of Jack People have been making jack-o-lanterns at Halloween for centuries. The practice originated from an Irish myth about a man nicknamed "Stingy Jack." According to the story, Stingy Jack invited the Devil to have a drink with him. True to his name, Stingy Jack didn't want to pay for his drink, so he convinced the Devil to turn himself into a coin that Jack could use to buy their drinks. Once the Devil did so, Jack decided to keep the money and put it into his pocket next to a silver cross, which prevented the Devil from changing back into his original form. Jack eventually freed the Devil, under the condition that he would not bother Jack for one year and that, should Jack die, he 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. Soon after, Jack died. As the legend goes, God would not allow such an unsavory figure into heaven. The Devil, upset by the trick Jack had played on him and keeping his word not to claim his soul, would not allow Jack into hell. He sent Jack off into the dark night with only a burning coal to light his way. Jack put the coal into a carved out turnip and has been roaming the Earth with it ever since. The Irish began to refer to this ghostly figure as "Jack of the Lantern," and then, simply "Jack O'Lantern." 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 into windows or near doors to frighten away Stingy Jack and other wandering evil spirits. In England, large beets are used. Immigrants from these countries brought the jack o’lantern tradition with them when they came to the United States. They soon found that pumpkins, a fruit native to America, make perfect jack o’lanterns. halloween, haunting, haunt, pet, ghost, horror, evil, dark, vampire, gothic, spooky, creepy, images, graphics, clip art, paranormal, gothic, scary, haunted, animations, information, horror dvds, halloween masks, halloween costums, halloween parties, halloween merchandise
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