By Austin Price, Editor-In-Chief
I’m sure most of you have carved a Jack-o'-lantern into a pumpkin. I know I did. I have vivid memories of visiting the pumpkin patch with my mom and pretending to help my dad carve the pumpkin in our kitchen, with pumpkin guts spilling out of mixing bowls. I remember my mom helping me light the candles inside of our pumpkins and leaving them out on the porch on Halloween night. I remember carrying the decaying pumpkin and now mutilated jack-o'-lantern into the backyard to put under a tree, leaving a yummy snack for the squirrels. These are all happy memories but the roots behind this beloved childhood ritual are much darker than they seem. With demonic roots and a search for salvation, today I will be telling the story of the original Jack behind the Jack-o'-lantern.
Jack-o'-lantern carving initially began using other vegetables. According to History.com, the practice of carving ghoulish faces on vegetables has roots in Ireland, where large turnips served as original carving canvasses. When Irish immigrants brought the tradition to America, it became an integral part of Halloween festivities but instead of using a turnip, the vegetable of choice was switched to a pumpkin, giving a bigger working surface. The Irish initially developed this practice of turnip carving based on an Irish folktale about a man named “Stingy Jack.”
The story of Stingy Jack was first discovered in print in the 19th century. The first thing to understand about Stingy Jack is that he was a trickster. His cleverness was his downfall as he often got himself into issues with the wrong people. According to this Irish legend, Stingy Jack invited the Devil himself, 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 turned into a coin, Jack decided to keep the coin and put it into his pocket next to a silver cross. This close proximity to a religious artifact prevented the Devil from changing back into his original form.
The story continues as Jack truly began to dance with the Devil. When Jack finally decided to release the Devil from his coin form in his pocket, he bargained with the Devil, demanding that the Devil would not bother Jack for one year and that, should Jack die, he would not claim his soul. The Devil agreed, and he was freed.
Jack continued to underestimate the power and the danger of the Devil as shortly after releasing him, he once again tricked the Devil. Jack convinced the Devil to climb up into a tree to pick a piece of fruit. While the Devil 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 he did not bother Jack for ten more years. The Devil agreed and succumbed to Jack’s manipulation once again.
Years after this bargain, Jack inevitably died. As a sinner and evil person, God refused to grant Jack entrance into heaven. This left his soul up to the Devil. However, due to the trick Jack had played on him, the Devil could not banish him to Hell. So, the Devil chose to send Jack off into his own personal form of purgatory. This purgatory sent Jack into the 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.”
The lantern of the Jack O’ Lantern has taken many forms as the tradition has spread throughout multiple countries. However, one feature of the Jack O’ Lantern that remains consistent in every location is its purpose of protection. People began to make their own versions of Jack’s lanterns by carving scary faces into vegetables and placing them in windows to frighten away Stingy Jack and other wandering evil spirits on Halloween.
In Ireland and Scotland, people began to make their own versions of Jack’s lanterns by carving scary faces into turnips. In England, large beets are used. And as we all know, the pumpkin is the vegetable of choice for Jack O’ Lanterns in America.
While the story of Jack O’ Lanterns is quite dark and has strong, demonic undertones, my biggest takeaway is that these Jack O’ Lanterns are now pillars of protection on Halloween night. These lanterns are symbols to ward off evil spirits that are said to run rampant throughout the night of Halloween.
And so, I encourage you all to continue carving pumpkins. It doesn’t matter how old you are, or what you’re currently doing with your life, I say, carve a pumpkin. Pumpkin carving is a happy childhood memory for most of us and now that we know about the added benefit of shielding that’s involved, there’s no reason to not take advantage of this protective practice. Happy Jack O’ Lantern carving everyone!