Tale of Jack o’ Lantern
Here is an interesting Irish folklore about a man named Stingy Jack. As the story goes, Stingy Jack invited the Devil for drinks. Once they were done, Jack , true to his nickname, refused to pay for the drinks. He convinced the Devil into turning himself into a coin so that he could pay for the drinks. The Devil did so, but Jack instead of paying for the drinks decided to keep the coin. He put it in his pocket with a silver cross so that the Devil could not change to his original form. After some time, Jack let the Devil change under the condition that he will not bother him for 1 year on take his soul if he should die within that time. The devil agreed. The next year when the devil appeared, slick Jack talked him into climbing a tree to pick some fruit. While he was up in the tree, Jack carved a cross in the bark of the tree. This time the devil had to promise not to bother Jack for 10 years.
Shortly afterwards, Jack died. Upon his demise the good Lord hearing about Jacks misgivings and lack of character decided that such a soul did not belong in heaven and sent Jack down to hell. The Devil still feeling the sting of Jacks trickery honored his promise and refused to accept his soul in hell. Jack had nowhere to go. He was sent back into the dark of the night with only a piece of coal to light his way. Jack took the coal and put it in a carved out turnip to make a light. He is forever doomed to roam the Earth at night with only the coal lantern to light his way. As the story goes, whenever the Irish saw the ghostly figure they said, there goes Jack of the Lantern, later they shortened it to Jack o’ Lantern.
As the legend grew, the Irish and Scottish thought it was best to make their own versions of Jacks lantern by carving scary faces in turnips, beets or potatoes. They would place them on window sills and at the foot steps of doors to keep Stingy Jack and other evil spirits away. This tradition was brought to the U.S. with the immigrants and has been carried out throughout the years using the native pumpkin as the ideal Jack o Lantern.
Happy Halloween!!!
for information on choosing your pumpkin
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Choosing a pumpkin
Looking for that perfect pumpkin for your Jack-O-Lantern? Here are some tips that might help.
-Pick a pumpkin with a green stem that is free of bruises, discolorations and soft spots -Don?t carry the pumpkin by the stem, it can break off easily.
-A thicker walled pumpkin will allow for more imaginative carving.
-Store your pumpkin in a cool, dry place, not freezing until you decide to carve it..
Not a question on gardening – but after you’ve carved your Jack O Lanterns & have them on the porch, is there anything you can do/put on/spray on etc., to keep the gnats & bugs from eating them into pulp & help them to last longer?
THANKS!
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