By Kaelyn Delaurier, Senior Reporter
Have you ever wondered why we carve pumpkins for Halloween night? Well, there is quite the extensive history behind this popular Halloween tradition. It all goes back to Ireland and the legend of Stingy Jack.
Stingy Jack was a drunkard, two-faced blacksmith who was known for deceit and manipulation. He was so selfish with such little empathy in his soul that he caught the attention of the devil.
The devil travelled to earth and intercepted Stingy Jack to take his soul. However, the ever-scheming man pleaded for one more drink before his death. The devil and Stingy Jack traversed to the nearest tavern and drank every ounce of alcohol there. When it came time to pay, Jack did not have the money for the drinks, and suggested the devil pay since he had unlimited magic. Agreeing, the devil turned into a coin. Instead of using this coin to pay, though, Jack trapped the devil in his pocket with a crucifix and only agreed to release him if the devil would let him live for another decade.
The deal was made. When the devil returned to take Jack’s soul ten years later, he asked the devil to pick him an apple from a tree, then trapped the devil in the tree by carving crucifixes into the bark. He only released the devil once he agreed Jack would not go to hell.
While Stingy Jack outsmarted the devil, he could not escape death. When he died, heaven refused him, so Jack went to go to hell. The devil refused him also, citing the deal they’d made earlier. The devil did grant Jack one final wish, giving him an ember from hell to light his way as he roamed earth for eternity. Stingy Jack found a turnip to carve a makeshift lantern for the ember, and since then he has roamed the Irish countryside. When locals saw him, they supposedly said “That’s just Jack o’ the lantern” which eventually turned into “Jack-o-lantern.”
Now, Halloween itself is based on the Celtic festival Samhain on November 1, where it was thought spirits could move freely on earth. When Catholics moved All Saints Day to November 1, Samhain was bumped to October 31, and its traditions – such as lighting a lantern carved out of a turnip to keep spirits, including Stingy Jack, away – moved with it.
The shift to pumpkin carving happened in the 1800s when Irish settlers popularized their tradition of carving turnips in the “New World,” where pumpkins were easy to grow and more visually appealing than turnips. Thus, pumpkins were favoured over turnips for these protective lanterns. They were given the name “Jack-o-lantern” for the Stingy Jack legend, and because many watchmen were called “Jack of the lantern” due to people often referring to men they didn’t know as “Jack” at the time.
Sources:
Britannica “Why do we Carve Pumpkins at Halloween?”
Historic Mysteries “The Legend of Stingy Jack.”
History Hit “Why do we Carve Pumpkins for Halloween?”