Halloween
Straddling the line between fall
and winter, plenty and paucity, life and death, Halloween is a time of
celebration and superstition. It is thought to have originated with the ancient
Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes
to ward off roaming ghosts. In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III designated
November 1 as a time to honor all saints and martyrs; the holiday, All Saints’
Day, incorporated some of the traditions of Samhain. The evening before was
known as All Hallows’ Eve and later Halloween. Over time, Halloween evolved
into a secular, community-based event characterized by child-friendly
activities such as trick-or-treating. In a number of countries around the
world, as the days grow shorter and the nights get colder, people continue to
usher in the winter season with gatherings, costumes and sweet treats.
Every October, carved pumpkins peer out from porches
and doorsteps in the United States and other parts of the
world. Gourd-like orange fruits inscribed with ghoulish faces and
illuminated by candles are a sure sign of the Halloween season. The practice of
decorating “jack-o’-lanterns”—the name comes from an Irish folktale about a man
named Stingy Jack—originated in Ireland, where large turnips and potatoes
served as an early canvas. Irish immigrants brought the tradition to America,
home of the pumpkin, and it became an integral part of Halloween festivities.
The Legend of "Stingy
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.
Straddling the line between fall
and winter, plenty and paucity, life and death, Halloween is a time of
celebration and superstition. It is thought to have originated with the ancient
Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes
to ward off roaming ghosts. In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III designated
November 1 as a time to honor all saints and martyrs; the holiday, All Saints’
Day, incorporated some of the traditions of Samhain. The evening before was
known as All Hallows’ Eve and later Halloween. Over time, Halloween evolved
into a secular, community-based event characterized by child-friendly
activities such as trick-or-treating. In a number of countries around the
world, as the days grow shorter and the nights get colder, people continue to
usher in the winter season with gatherings, costumes and sweet treats.
History of The Jack O’Lantern
Every October, carved pumpkins peer out from porches
and doorsteps in the United States and other parts of the
world. Gourd-like orange fruits inscribed with ghoulish faces and
illuminated by candles are a sure sign of the Halloween season. The practice of
decorating “jack-o’-lanterns”—the name comes from an Irish folktale about a man
named Stingy Jack—originated in Ireland, where large turnips and potatoes
served as an early canvas. Irish immigrants brought the tradition to America,
home of the pumpkin, and it became an integral part of Halloween festivities.
The Legend of "Stingy
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 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. 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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