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A
stingy drunkard of an Irish blacksmith named Jack
had the misfortune to run into the Devil in a pub,
some say on Halloween night. Jack had too much to
drink and was about to fall into the Devil's hands,
but managed to trick the Devil by offering his soul
in exchange for one last drink. The Devil turned
himself into a sixpence to pay the bartender, but
Jack quickly pocketed him in his purse. Because
Jack had a silver cross in his purse, the Devil
could not change himself back. Jack would not
let the Devil go until he promised not to claim his
soul for ten years.
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The
Devil agreed and ten years later Jack came
across the Devil while walking on a country
road. The Devil wanted to collect, but Jack,
thinking quickly, said "I'll go, but
before I go, will you get me an apple from
that tree?" The Devil, thinking he
had nothing to lose, jumped on Jack's
shoulders to obtain the apple. Jack pulled
out his knife and carved a cross in the
trunk of the tree. This left the Devil in
the air, unable to obtain Jack or his soul.
Jack made him promise to never again ask for
his soul. Seeing no way out, the Devil
agreed. No one knows how the Devil ever
managed to get back down!
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When
Jack finally died years later, he was not
admitted to Heaven, because of his life of
drinking and being tightfisted and
deceitful. When he went to apply for
entrance to Hell, the Devil had to turn him
away because he agreed never to take Jack's
soul. "But where can I go?",
asked Jack. "Back where you came
from!", replied the Devil. The way
back was windy and dark. Jack pleaded with
the Devil to at least provide him a light to
find his way. The Devil, as a final gesture,
threw a live coal at Jack straight from the
fire of Hell. To light his way and to keep
it from blowing out in the wind, Jack put it
in a turnip he was eating.
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Ever
since, Jack has been doomed to wander in darkness
with his lantern until "Judgment Day."
Jack of the lantern (Jack o'Lantern) became known as
the symbol of a damned soul.
When
the term jack-o'-lantern first appeared in print in
1750, it referred to a night watchman or a man
carrying a lantern.
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People
believed that spirits and ghosts left the
grave on Halloween and would seek out warmth
in their previous homes. Villagers, fearful
of the possibility of being visited by the
ghosts of past occupants, would dress up in
costumes to scare the spirits on their way.
They would also leave food and other treats
at their door to appease the spirits, so
they would not destroy their homes or crops,
but instead move on down the road. They also
began to hollow out turnips with a face
either painted or carved into it, and place
lighted candles inside, hoping the image of
a dammed soul would scare the spirits away.
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The
Irish Potato Famine (1845-50) prompted over
700,000 to immigrate to the Americas. These
immigrants brought with them their
traditions of Halloween and Jack o'Lanterns,
but turnips were not as readily available as
back home. They found the American pumpkin
to be a more than adequate replacement.
Today, the carved pumpkin is perhaps the
most famous icon of the holiday.
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