Jack-o’-lanterns, we all know, are great orange pumpkins with eerie faces carved in them.
But few people know that the original jack-o’-lantern came from an Irish story, and that the first lantern was said to be a large turnip, lit by an ember from the fires of Hell. This is the story that was told:
An Irishman, Jack, was known to be so selfish and mean that the Devil waited eagerly to claim his soul. But
Jack was as crafty as he was bad, and he tricked the Devil into promising never to take him into Hell. When
Jack died his spirit was too evil to be accepted in Heaven. With no other place to go, Jack found himself standing at the gates of Hell, asking to be let in. But Satan’s promise could not be broken, and Jack’s soul could not even find rest there. The Devil tossed out a chunk of live coal from hell to light Jack’s way in the darkness. The coal was stuck in a large vegetable that Jack had been eating, and this became the first jack-o’-lantern!
When the custom of making jack-o’-lanterns was imported to the United States, it was found that pumpkins
were perfectly suited for carving. Now pumpkin faces are often seen lighting the way for the wandering spooks of Halloween night. The coming of Celtic (Irish/ Scot) immigrants to the United States has certainly influenced our customs and celebrations!
Disclosure: Info originally published in the December 1982 edition of COBBLESTONE magazine. From a free re-print on the Cricket Magazine website