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People in ancient Ireland used to put out turnips (they didn't have pumpkins) carved with human faces, in the belief that there was a man named Jack who was not allowed to enter Heaven and had to roam Earth forever. The turnips were to give him light on his journey. Then when the Irish came to the US, they found that pumpkins were much easier to carve than turnips, so they continued their tradition, but with pumpkins instead of turnips. Eventually the tradition spread all over the US.

Stingy Jack Folktale

An old Irish folktale tells the story of Stingy Jack(known as Jack the Smith in some variations), who was a lazy yet shrewd farmer. In all the variations, Jack is used as a character who traps the Devil with a cross. The way with which he does this varies from version-to-version. In any case, Jack forces the Devil to agree to never take his soul in return for his release.

Later, because of Jack's hectic lifestyle of thievery and drinking, he eventually falls victim to his own habits and dies. Jack is denied entrance through the gates of Saint Peter into Heaven due to his sinful life. As a result, Jack travels to the gates of Hell and begs the Devil to allow him to rest his soul there. In keeping the agreement he made with Jack earlier, the Devil cannot take his soul and refuses him entrance into Hell.

Mockingly, the Devil gives Jack an ember of Hell that never burns out and forces him to forever wander in the netherworld searching for a place to rest his soul. As a warning to others, Jack places the ember inside a carved turnip to light his way, forever known as Jack of the Lantern.

As time passed, the legend became more and more variated. The original carved turnip was turned into a carved pumpkin and "Jack of the Lantern" was changed to Jack o' the lantern, which was eventually turned into jack-o'-lantern.

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12y ago
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11y ago

i have an awnser about the jack story...:Jack was a boy who had been cursed by the devil/satin and he had to walk around with a turnip and inside the turnip was a candle stick and thats what made us have pumpkins today and that is also why we call them jack o lanterns!

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9y ago

In America, the tradition of pumpkin carving began in 1834. It was associated with the harvest season in general, not Halloween when it began.

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10y ago

the jack-o-lantern was originated in the 1800s by the bad boy from ireland jack

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11y ago

A guy named Jack was tanting the devil

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Q: What was the original story of jack o lantern?
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What country does the Jack-O'-Iantren story originate from?

the jack - o - lantern story comes from Ireland they thought the jack-o-lantern light keep the evil sprits away.


What country does jack-'o'-lantern story originate from?

from spain


Where country does the Jack-o- lantern story originate from?

from ireland


What country does the Jack-O'-lantern story originate from?

Ireland


What country does jack-o'-lantern story originate from?

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What country does jack-O lantern story originate from?

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What country does jack- O-lantern story originate from?

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What 2 veggies served as the original jack-o'-lantern?

Large turnips or beets were the original jack o'lanterns.


What does the o mean in Jack-o'-lantern?

The "o" in Jack-o'-lantern is a shortened form of "of." So "Jack-o'-lantern" originally meant "Jack of the lantern," referencing a light source made from a carved pumpkin or turnip.


Halloween words that start with a j?

· Junior Mints (candy for trick or treat bag) · Jack-o-lantern


What is Jack-of-the-lantern contraction?

It is Jack-o’-lantern.


Where does the Jack-o'-lantern originate from?

the Jack o' lantern comes from Europe