Happy Halloween 2015: History of Jack-O-Lanterns! #halloween

Did you know the first jack-o-lanterns weren’t make out of pumpkins?  When I told my 9 year-old son, Joe, he was surprised.  Nope, they were turnips.

The Irish used to make jack-o-lanterns out of turnips and put them out on All Hallow’s Eve to scare away the evil spirits and specifically, Stingy Jack.  They didn’t just hallow out turnips either. They also made jack-o-lanterns out of: rutabagas, gourds, potatoes and beets. In the 1800’s Irish immigrants came to America and discovered the pumpkin.  Since then, the squash has been a favorite to make jack-o-lanterns. 

So is Stingy Jack the guy that the jack-o-lantern is supposed to keep at bay?

Stingy Jack is an old Irish legend.  He was a miserable man who drank too much and loved playing tricks on anyone who passed his way – including his mom and even the Devil.

He tricked the Devil into climbing an apple tree then he placed crosses around the trunk of the tree. Since the Devil couldn’t touch the crosses, he was stuck in the tree.  Stingy Jack struck a deal with the Devil.  The Devil wouldn’t take his soul when Jack died.  Then Jack removed the crosses the Devil got out of the tree.

When Jack finally died he met St. Peter at the gates of Heaven.  St. Peter told Jack he lived a miserable life on Earth and was very cruel.  Jack couldn’t get into Heaven.  So he went to Hell and asked the Devil if he could come in.  The Devil said no.

Can you imagine?  You can’t get into Heaven – or Hell!

Jack fussed with the Devil who took pity on him and gave him an ember from Hell to help Jack light his way as he traveled through the Netherworld which had no light. Jack stuck his ember in his turnip and even to this day, roams the Earth since he doesn’t have a resting place using a “Jack-O-Lantern.”

Have a Great Halloween! Question for you: What are you going to be for Halloween?

Joe the Minion and Andrew the Scream Guy for Halloween 2015. We made our trunk into a Graveyard. 

History of Halloween - Trick or Treat?

Halloween decorations in front of my house this year.



The origins of Halloween are more typically linked to the Celtic festival of Samhain. (pronounced Sow-an) Samhain was a festival held to denote the end of the summer. For them, the "lighter half" of the year was ending and "darker half" was beginning. They believed that during Samhain the plane between this world and otherworld grew week, allowing spirits, both good and bad, to pas through. To ward off the bad spirits people would disguise themselves as bad spirits themselves so no harm would come to them. Over the years this tradition continued.

The name of Halloween comes from "All Hallow's Eve" which is the night before "All Hallowmas." Hallow in Old English means to sanctify. Nowadays we call the day after Halloween, "All Soul's Day" and it's a day to honor the souls in Heaven in many churches.

The practice of going door-to-door to trick or treat has it's roots in the practice of 'souling.' (which origins are in Britain and Ireland) Children would go door-to-door singing and saying prayers for the dead and they would receive a small cake for their efforts.

My son Joe, and last year's pumpkins


Before there were pumpkins, there were turnips. In more traditional Celtic festivals, large turnips were hallowed out and scary faces were carved into them. They were then placed into windows to ward off evil spirits. When the Irish came to America and discovered pumpkins, they began to use them since pumpkins were bigger and easier to carve.

Author Ruth Edna Kelley wrote a history of Halloween in 1919 and the custom of trick or treating wasn't even mentioned. The term trick or treat didn't appear until 1934 in a Halloween greeting card. Surprisingly, trick or treating in America didn't gain national recognition until the late 1940's after World War II.

Anyone like to share what they do for Halloween?
Smiles
Steph