Theresa's Haunted History of the Tri-State

Hey, its Halloween...its relevant, hehe. 

The term "jack-o-lantern" actually goes back to at least 300 years ago, with the first mention of the word being recorded in 1663.  Back then, the word was associated throughout the British Isles as a slang term for a night watchmen.  The term was later used to refer to the phenomena of the will-o-the-wisp.

It wasn't until the 1800s, however, that the term began to be associated with carved pumpkins and Halloween.

The tale of the Jack-o-Lantern begins with the myth of an Irish man known as Stingy Jack.  Jack was a drunkard, a practical joker, and a con artist.  No one was above his tricks, not family, not friends...not even the Devil himself.  There are different variations to the story, but the most popular is as follows:

Stingy Jack had invited the Devil to have a drink with him, and for reasons unbeknownst, the Devil took him up on the offer.  However, living up to his name, Stingy Jack refused to pay for his drink, and devised a plan to get out of paying.  He was able to convince the Devil to change himself into a coin.  Jack would then use that coin to pay for the drinks.  Again, for reasons unbeknown, the Devil actually agreed to this plan.

The Devil changed himself into a coin, but instead of using the coin to pay for the drinks, once again, Stingy Jack lived up to his name and pocketed the coin for himself.  The coin was kept beside a silver cross in Jack's pocket, which prevented the Devil from returning to his natural form.  Eventually, Jack freed the Devil, but on two conditions...1. The Devil would leave him alone for ONE year, and 2. The Devil had to promise that if Jack died, he would not claim his soul.  The Devil agreed and was returned to his natural form.

Apparently the Devil is an idiot, or a glutton for punishment, because exactly one year later, he came to visit Jack again.  Jack managed this time to convince the Devil to climb up an apple tree and pick a piece of fruit.  While the Devil was in the tree, Jack quickly carved the sign of the cross into the bark, preventing the Devil from climbing back down.  This time, the Devil had to promise Jack not to bother him for a period of 10 years, to which the Devil agreed.

Shortly after this incident, Jack died.  Due to a life of swindling and cheating, he was denied entrance into Heaven.  However, Hell refused to take him as well.  The Devil, living up to his word, and no doubt still holding a grudge, ignored the pleas and wails of Jack, who was to be doomed to walk the eternal darkness between worlds.  Either by a small spark of pity, or as a way to add insult to injury, the Devil flicked a small burning ember from the fires of Hell Jack's way in order to provide light.  Jack loved turnips, often stealing them when the craving so struck him, and often carried one with him.  He hollowed out his turnip, put the burning ember inside, and began his eternal punishment.

Legend spreads quickly in the British Isles, and soon people were referring to the ghost of Stingy Jack as "Jack of the Lantern," later being shortened to Jack-o-Lantern.  In addition, they too, began carving turnips, beets, and other root vegetables with scary faces and lighting them.  They would then put these lighted creations near a door or window with the belief that they would scare ol' Stingy Jack and other evil spirits away.

As Irish immigration to America drastically increased, the legend of the Jack-o-Lantern was brought to the states.  Pumpkins, being a native plant here, were soon discovered as being the ideal medium for Jack-O-Lantern carving, and thus, carving pumpkins is considered an American Tradition.