Pumpkin carving is a popular part of modern America’s Halloween celebration. Come October, pumpkins can be found everywhere in the country from doorsteps to dinner tables. Despite the widespread carving that goes on in this country every autumn, few Americans really know why or when the jack o ’lantern tradition began.
People have been making jack o’lanterns at Halloween for centuries. But what people don’t know is 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. Jack didn’t want to pay for his drink (hence his name?), 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 to prevent the devil from changing back into his original form. Jack eventually freed the Devil, under the condition that he would not bother Jack for a year and he would never lay claim to Jack’s soul. A year passed and Jack was up to his trickery again. This time, he tricked the Devil by having him climb a tree for a piece of fruit. At the end, Jack walked away with ten years of not being bothered by the Devil. Unfortunately for Jack, he died. Legend says he was not able to go to Heaven nor Hell, and the Devil was so mad at Jack that 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 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 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.
Did You Know?
Pumpkins are fruits.
A pumpkin is a type of squash and is a member of the gourd family.
The seed is edible and is a good source of protein, magnesium, copper and zinc.
Pumpkins have been grown in North America for five thousand years. They are indigenous to the western hemisphere.
In 1584, after French explorer Jacques Cartier explored the St. Lawrence region of No. America, he reported finding “gros melons.” The name became “pompions,” which has evolved into the modern name pumpkins.
The largest pumpkin pie ever baked was 2,020 pounds (in 2005*).*Guinness Book of World Records
The story of Stingy Jack was pulled from http://www.history.com/topics/jack-olantern-history
No comments:
Post a Comment