Another Day closer to Halloween....but have you ever wondered where on earth the idea of carving pumpkins came from?? Let me indulge your curious mind with that knowledge..... Pumpkin Carving/Jack-o-lantern THE NAME "jack-o'-lantern" is of British origin and dates from the 17th century, when it literally meant "man with a lantern" (i.e., a night watchman). It was also a nickname for the natural phenomenon known as ignis fatuus (fool's fire)or "will o' the wisp," the mysterious, flickering lights sometimes seen at night over wetlands and associated in folklore with fairies and ghosts playing pranks on travelers The practice actually 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. It wasn't until Irish immigrants brought the custom of carving jack-o'-lanterns to North America that the more commonly available pumpkin came to be used for that purpose, and not until the mid-to-late 19th century that pumpkin carving became a Halloween staple across the United States.
The only pumpkins I know are the perverted pumpkin queen and her slave mr pumpkin! Be careful never to enter the pumpkin room!!
Ill be sure to give that room a miss Harm. Thanks guys. I'm looking forward to telling some Urban Legends in the next few days lights out....scary story time?
my Dad used to tell us that story along with other ghostly tales as a way to freak us out on Halloween. Always loved that story about Jack. Haven't heard it in a while now so thank you Chloe for that walk down memory lane
Very, very cool Chloe. I enjoyed this way to much. ?Brings me back to being a kid again, and first learning about their history.
? Love it!!! This is a great thread. Too bad everyone's to busy bumping the rubbish threads to take time and read this.
It's just old folklores and the reasonings behind Halloween traditions. I for one find it interesting rather than believable they're just legends.