When Celtic cultures dominated England and Ireland, children carried a carved turnip with a candle inside to light the way to the festivities of Samhain, the Celtic New Year celebrated October 31.
Legend of the Jack-o’-Lantern
According to legend, it was a hard-drinking Irishman named Jack who gave his name to the Jack-o’-Lantern. One Halloween night, as Jack staggered home from a night of drinking, the devil appeared to claim his soul. But Jack tricked the devil into climbing a nearby tree to pick him a final apple. Quickly, Jack carved a cross on the tree trunk. The devil, who couldn’t cross such sacred symbols, was trapped. Jack let him go only when he promised never again to claim his soul. When Jack finally died, he was denied entry into heaven because of his drunken ways on earth. When he went to the gates of hell, the devil, remembering his promise, denied Jack entry, but threw him a glowing coal from the fires of hell to light his eternal wanderings. Jack placed the coal in a hollowed out turnip to form a make-shift lantern. Some legends say the fire of Jack’s lantern can still be seen as his spirit wanders the earth with nowhere to go.
The Jack-o’-Lantern turnips were carved with frightening faces to scare away malevolent spirits that haunted Halloween. According to Celtic belief, October 31 marked the time between summer and winter and between the old year and the new. At this time, it was believed, the boundary between the dead and the living was very thin, allowing spirits to enter the world of the living more easily.
When Christianity came to Europe, many of the customs of Samhain were incorporated into All Hallows (from hallowed) Eve, the night before All Saints Day on November 1. The day has come down to us as Halloween.
Turnips to Pumpkins
When the Jack-o’-Lantern arrived in America, the turnip changed to the native pumpkin. Jack-o’-Lanterns exploded in popularity with Irish immigrants who arrived in the mid-1800s. But instead of carrying the pumpkins as lanterns, they are set in windows and on doorsteps to greet trick-or-treaters.
Jack-o’-Lantern Carving Activities
Jack-o’-Lanterns have now become a major part of one of America’s favorite holidays. Following are some activities that adults can enjoy to share in the fun of Halloween Jack-o’-Lanterns.
- A pumpkin-carving party makes a great pre-Halloween activity. Friends get together to share hot cider and a Halloween pumpkin workshop. The host can provide carving knives and erasable markers for sketching out designs. If children will participate, steps should be taken to assure they are well supervised by adults.
- Jack-o’-Lantern carving contests can be held among friends, co-workers, or entire communities. Prizes in the form of “tricks or treats” are awarded for the scariest, the funniest, the most artistic and the most unusual pumpkins. Displaying all the carved pumpkins is half the fun.
- “Name that pumpkin!” calls on participants at a carving party or contest to submit names for the Jack-o’-Lanterns carved by fellow participants. Everyone votes on the winning name.
References:
- The Halloween Handbook, Ed Morrw, Citadel Press, Kensington Publishing Corp., New York, 2001.
- The Halloween Encyclopedia, Lisa Morton, McFarland & company, Inc., Publishers, Jefferson, North Carolina, 2003.
