Keep in mind that some of the contents of this articles may have triggering references and spoilers of the show so if this is not a thing for you then do stay away from reading this (´◡`)
It's October and you know what's waiting for us in this special month? Halloween! This so-called 'spooky' or should I say spoopy holiday gave us some interesting activities that keeping us on the run. Costume making, trick or treats and even pumpkin carvings are major examples of it! There are- well, a lot of legends and true stories that keep us on the edge of our seats while we're telling these stories to our family and friends.
For today's article, I will be talking about Jack O' Lantern! You might be thinking, "He's just a pumpkin with a carved face!" but he is more than that or should I say, he's an actual myth told by ancestors time to time. Originated from Ireland, a jack o' lantern was started of as a turnip or potatoes until the Irish immigrants made good use of pumpkins in America as their carving canvas - which these carved pumpkins became one of the icons with the word "Halloween".
Now, where does this idea of Jack O' Lantern came from? This practice was originated from the Irish myth about a man named Stingy Jack. Like his name, he was a bit too 'careful' with his money. In this myth, Stingy Jack invited the Devil for a drink and living up to his name, Jack didn't pay for the drink so he asked the Devil to turn himself into a coin. The Devil did so and Jack decided to keep the money and put it into his pocket next to a silver cross because well, the Devil can't revert himself back.
He eventually freed the Devil under the condition; do not bother him for one year and when Jack dies, the Devil shouldn't claim his soul. The next year, Jack again tricked the Devil into climbing into a tree to pick a piece of fruit. While he was up in the tree, Jack carved a sign of the cross - again into the tree’s bark so that the Devil could not come down until the Devil promised Jack not to bother him for ten more years. Mhm, we'll see Stingy Jack more like Sneaky Jack.
Soon, Jack dies and God didn't allow Jack to heaven. Not only that, the Devil who was upset falling for the tricks Jack had made and made a promise with him as well didn't claim Jack's soul to hell. However, the Devil sent Jack off into the dark 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 as that ever since. This ghostly figure was known to the Irish as whom we all know today - Jack O' Lantern or Jack of the Lantern.
Since the story had passed down along generations, the original Jack O' Lantern - made by the Irish and Scottish was carved from turnips and potatoes. These carvings aren't really friendly like what we had seen nowadays however but they are purposely made to be scary so it can frighten away Stingy Jack. In England, large beets were used as well. Soon the immigrants from these countries will discover pumpkins in America which is a local fruit and became a perfect jack o' lantern.
Now as I was researching, turnip Jack O' Lanterns were real scary compared to our modern cute pumpkin. To end this article, below is a traditional face-carved turnip as well as the carved pumpkin we had practiced in this modern Halloween. Have a good tight sleep everyone!
