Where did Jack-o-lanterns originate?

Answer 1

• It originated with the Irish and a fellow named "Stingy Jack." According to the story, Stingy Jack invited the Devil to have a drink with him. True to his name, Stingy Jack didn't want to pay for his drink, so he convinced the Devil to turn himself into a coin that Jack could use to buy their drinks. Once the Devil did so, Jack decided to keep the money and put it into his pocket next to a silver cross, which prevented the Devil from changing back into his original form. Jack eventually freed the Devil, under the condition that he would not bother Jack for one year and that, should Jack die, he would not 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 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. Soon after, Jack died. As the legend goes, God would not allow such an unsavory figure into heaven. The Devil, upset by the trick Jack had played on him and keeping his word not to claim his soul, would not allow Jack into hell. He 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 with ever since. The Irish began to refer to this ghostly figure as "Jack of the Lantern," and then, simply "Jack O'Lantern." In Ireland and Scotland, people began to make their own versions of Jack's lanterns by carving scary faces into turnips or potatoes and placing them into windows or near doors to frighten away Stingy Jack and other wandering evil spirits. In England, large beets are used. Immigrants from these countries brought the jack o'lantern tradition with them when they came to the United States. They soon found that pumpkins, a fruit native to America, make perfect jack o'lanterns.

• Another user said: "Jack, the Irish say, grew up in a simple village where he earned a reputation for cleverness as well as lazinessHe applied his fine intelligence to wiggling out of any work that was asked of him, preferring to lie under a solitary oak endlessly whittling. In order to earn money to spend at the local pub, he looked for an "easy shilling" from gambling, a pastime at which he excelled. In his whole life he never made a single enemy, never made a single friend and never performed a selfless act for anyone. One Halloween, as it happened, the time came for him to die. When the devil arrived to take his soul, Jack was lazily drinking at the pub and asked permission to finish his ale. The devil agreed, and Jack thought fast. "If you really have any power," he said slyly, "you could transform yourself into a shilling." The devil snorted at such child's play and instantly changed himself into a shilling. Jack grabbed the coin. He held it tight in his hand, which bore a cross-shaped scar. The power of the cross kept the devil imprisoned there, for everyone knows the devil is powerless when faced with the cross. Jack would not let the devil free until he granted him another year of life. Jack figured that would be plenty of time to repent. The devil left Jack at the pub. The year rolled around to the next Halloween, but Jack never got around to repenting. Again the devil appeared to claim his soul, and again Jack bargained, this time challenging him to a game of dice, an offer Satan could never resist, but a game that Jack excelled at. The devil threw snake eyes-two ones-and was about to haul him off, but Jack used a pair of dice he himself had whittled. When they landed as two threes, forming the T-shape of a cross, once again the devil was powerless. Jack bargained for more time to repent. He kept thinking he'd get around to repentance later, at the last possible minute. But the agreed-upon day arrived and death took him by surprise. The devil hadn't showed up and Jack soon found out why not. Before he knew it Jack was in front of the pearly gates. St. Peter shook his head sadly and could not admit him, because in his whole life Jack had never performed a single selfless act. Then Jack presented himself before the gates of hell, but the devil was still seething. Satan refused to have anything to do with him. "Where can I go?" cried Jack. "How can I see in the darkness?" The devil tossed a burning coal into a hollow pumpkin and ordered him to wander forever with only the pumpkin to light his path. From that day to this he has been called "Jack o' the Lantern." Sometimes he appears on Halloween! "

• In England, and Ireland a long long time ago like in the 17, to 1800's celtic's use to carve turnips when they immigrated to the U.S the started to use pumpkins because they are bigger and more plentiful

• It began in Ireland where there was a folk tale about a bad little boy who played a trick on the devil so he was made to wonder the earth and carry a lantern lit by a lump of coal. In the original story he had a turnip he carried, but when the Irish came to the colonies they couldn't find turnips to use so they began to use pumpkins a plant native to the North America.

Jack o' lantern comes from an old Irish folktale about Stingy Jack who had a plan to outwit the devil. He somehow talked the devil into climbing up an apple tree and once he got to the top, Jack laid crosses all over the ground beneath so the devil couldn't come down. In the end, Jack agreed to let the devil go as long as he promised to never take Jack's soul. The problem was Jack had been too wicked to get into heaven and now he was barred from hell. On asking the devil where he would go without any light, Satan threw him a glowing ember from hell that would never burn out. Jack carved out a turnip and put the ember inside as a lantern. He supposedly will wander for eternity with his lantern, trapped on earth.

Answer 2

No one knows for sure when the first Jack-o-lanterns were made. In ancient times the Celts celebrated the feast of Samhain (pronounced: SOW'en) in Ireland and Scotland, and that holiday eventually became known as Halloween. The Celts believed that on that day the spirits of the dead roamed the earth and would visit the homes where they once lived. Costumes and lanterns carved from turnips, potatoes and beets were used to frighten away evil spirits, as they are today. The lanterns eventually became known as Jack-o-lanterns.

When Christianity spread through Britain and Ireland, Samhain gradually became known as All Hallow's Eve or Halloween. A tale began to be told in Ireland of a man named Jack, who almost lost his soul to the Devil but who tricks him instead.

Different versions of the tale exist, but in one version, Jack, a n'er-do-well, gets so drunk one Halloween that the Devil comes to steal his soul. Jack delays by asking the devil if they can have one last drink before descending to hell. The Devil agrees, but Jack then says he doesn't have enough money for the drinks, but if the devil is willing to change himself into a coin, they can pay for the drinks and then the Devil can change back again. The Devil agrees and when he changes into a coin, Jack quickly places the coin into his wallet next to a cross, preventing the Devil from changing back. Jack then strikes another bargain with the irate Devil, telling him he will release him only if he promises not to bother Jack for some time.

Years later, Jack is walking down a country road when the Devil comes to claim his soul. Thinking quickly, Jack tempts the Devil to climb a tree for an apple. When the Devil climbs the tree, Jack carves a cross into the tree, preventing the Devil from getting down. Jack then forces the Devil to promise never take his soul, and the Devil, reluctantly, agrees.

Jack eventually dies and tries to get into heaven, but heaven won't have him because he's spent a lifetime being dishonest, drinking, tricking, and being mean. So Jack goes to hell and tries to enter, but he can't enter there either because he'd made the Devil promise never to take his soul. So the Devil tells Jack he has to leave the way he came, by a dark and treacherous path. Frightened, Jack begs the Devil for a light, and the Devil throws Jack a coal from hell. Jack puts the coal into a half-eaten turnip to make a lantern, and turns to roam his path endlessly with nowhere to rest.

In Ireland and Scotland, on Halloween people would place carved or painted turnip or beet lanterns on their doorstep to warn off evil spirits with the lost soul of Jack. When the Irish emigrated to the Americas, they brought with them their Halloween traditions and began carving pumpkins in place of turnips, potatoes and beets, but they are still known as Jack-O-Lanterns. No one knows for sure when the first Jack-o-lanterns were made. In ancient times the Celts celebrated the feast of Samhain (pronounced: SOW'en) in Ireland and Scotland, and that holiday eventually became known as Halloween. The Celts believed that on that day the spirits of the dead roamed the earth and would visit the homes where they once lived. Costumes and lanterns carved from turnips, potatoes and beets were used to frighten away evil spirits, as they are today. The lanterns eventually became known as Jack-o-lanterns.

When Christianity spread through Britain and Ireland, Samhain gradually became known as All Hallow's Eve or Halloween. A tale began to be told in Ireland of a man named Jack, who almost lost his soul to the Devil but who tricks him instead.

Different versions of the tale exist, but in one version, Jack, a n'er-do-well, gets so drunk one Halloween that the Devil comes to steal his soul. Jack delays by asking the devil if they can have one last drink before descending to hell. The Devil agrees, but Jack then says he doesn't have enough money for the drinks, but if the devil is willing to change himself into a coin, they can pay for the drinks and then the Devil can change back again. The Devil agrees and when he changes into a coin, Jack quickly places the coin into his wallet next to a cross, preventing the Devil from changing back. Jack then strikes another bargain with the irate Devil, telling him he will release him only if he promises not to bother Jack for some time.

Years later, Jack is walking down a country road when the Devil comes to claim his soul. Thinking quickly, Jack tempts the Devil to climb a tree for an apple. When the Devil climbs the tree, Jack carves a cross into the tree, preventing the Devil from getting down. Jack then forces the Devil to promise never take his soul, and the Devil, reluctantly, agrees.

Jack eventually dies and tries to get into heaven, but heaven won't have him because he's spent a lifetime being dishonest, drinking, tricking, and being mean. So Jack goes to hell and tries to enter, but he can't enter there either because he'd made the Devil promise never to take his soul. So the Devil tells Jack he has to leave the way he came, by a dark and treacherous path. Frightened, Jack begs the Devil for a light, and the Devil throws Jack a coal from hell. Jack puts the coal into a half-eaten turnip to make a lantern, and turns to roam his path endlessly with nowhere to rest.

In Ireland and Scotland, on Halloween people would place carved or painted turnip or beet lanterns on their doorstep to warn off evil spirits with the lost soul of Jack. When the Irish emigrated to the Americas, they brought with them their Halloween traditions and began carving pumpkins in place of turnips, potatoes and beets, but they are still known as Jack-O-Lanterns. No one knows for sure when the first Jack-o-lanterns were made. In ancient times the Celts celebrated the feast of Samhain (pronounced: SOW'en) in Ireland and Scotland, and that holiday eventually became known as Halloween. The Celts believed that on that day the spirits of the dead roamed the earth and would visit the homes where they once lived. Costumes and lanterns carved from turnips, potatoes and beets were used to frighten away evil spirits, as they are today. The lanterns eventually became known as Jack-o-lanterns.

When Christianity spread through Britain and Ireland, Samhain gradually became known as All Hallow's Eve or Halloween. A tale began to be told in Ireland of a man named Jack, who almost lost his soul to the Devil but who tricks him instead.

Different versions of the tale exist, but in one version, Jack, a n'er-do-well, gets so drunk one Halloween that the Devil comes to steal his soul. Jack delays by asking the devil if they can have one last drink before descending to hell. The Devil agrees, but Jack then says he doesn't have enough money for the drinks, but if the devil is willing to change himself into a coin, they can pay for the drinks and then the Devil can change back again. The Devil agrees and when he changes into a coin, Jack quickly places the coin into his wallet next to a cross, preventing the Devil from changing back. Jack then strikes another bargain with the irate Devil, telling him he will release him only if he promises not to bother Jack for some time.

Years later, Jack is walking down a country road when the Devil comes to claim his soul. Thinking quickly, Jack tempts the Devil to climb a tree for an apple. When the Devil climbs the tree, Jack carves a cross into the tree, preventing the Devil from getting down. Jack then forces the Devil to promise never take his soul, and the Devil, reluctantly, agrees.

Jack eventually dies and tries to get into heaven, but heaven won't have him because he's spent a lifetime being dishonest, drinking, tricking, and being mean. So Jack goes to hell and tries to enter, but he can't enter there either because he'd made the Devil promise never to take his soul. So the Devil tells Jack he has to leave the way he came, by a dark and treacherous path. Frightened, Jack begs the Devil for a light, and the Devil throws Jack a coal from hell. Jack puts the coal into a half-eaten turnip to make a lantern, and turns to roam his path endlessly with nowhere to rest.

In Ireland and Scotland, on Halloween people would place carved or painted turnip or beet lanterns on their doorstep to warn off evil spirits with the lost soul of Jack. When the Irish emigrated to the Americas, they brought with them their Halloween traditions and began carving pumpkins in place of turnips, potatoes and beets, but they are still known as Jack-O-Lanterns.

Answer 3

The term jack-o'-lantern dates back as far as 1663 and was first used to refer to people. The term meant "night watchman" or "man with a lantern". Not more than a decade or so later people began using the term to describe strange lights that appeared over swamps and bogs at nighttime. Later there became a scientific explanation for the mystery - the lights are created by gas put off by decomposing plant matter that ignites when it come in contact with heat or electricity- but for centuries they were explained by stories and legends that revolved around a man named Jack.Old Irish legends from the 1500s say that a man called Stingy Jack played tricks on the devil. He would convince the devil to do things for him and then trap him. Jack once convinced the devil to change into a coin to pay for drinks but instead Jack kept the coin in his pocket with a silver cross which trapped the devil from changing back. Another time he trapped him up a tree by carving a cross in it. Each time that he released the devil he would make him promise not to seek revenge and that he would not claim his soul whenever he passed away.When Jack finally passed away, God would not allow him into heaven and the devil kept his promise by rejecting Jack at the Gates of Hell. He gave Jack a single lit coal and told him to go "find his own hell". It is said that Jack carved out a turnip to carry the coal in and his soul wanders the Earth. The legend says that the lights are Jack's improvisations and they move about as his restless soul does and were deemed "Jack of the Lanterns" or "Jack-o'-Lanterns".

Answer 4

The story of Jack Of the lantern. One story is that Jack stole from his neighbors, so the devil told him it was time for him to die. Jack told him to turn into a coin, and The devil did so, in jumped into Jack's pocket which had a cross in it. The cross took away the devils powers. This was a short version, so look up Jack Of The Lantern.

Answer 5

It originated with the Irish and a fellow named "Stingy Jack."

Here is the story from history.com:

According to the story, Stingy Jack invited the Devil to have a drink with him. True to his name, Stingy Jack didn't want to pay for his drink, so he convinced the Devil to turn himself into a coin that Jack could use to buy their drinks. Once the Devil did so, Jack decided to keep the money and put it into his pocket next to a silver cross, which prevented the Devil from changing back into his original form. Jack eventually freed the Devil, under the condition that he would not bother Jack for one year and that, should Jack die, he would not 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 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.

Soon after, Jack died. As the legend goes, God would not allow such an unsavory figure into heaven. The Devil, upset by the trick Jack had played on him and keeping his word not to claim his soul, would not allow Jack into hell. He 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 with ever since. The Irish began to refer to this ghostly figure as "Jack of the Lantern," and then, simply "Jack O'Lantern."

In Ireland and Scotland, people began to make their own versions of Jack's lanterns by carving scary faces into turnips or potatoes and placing them into windows or near doors to frighten away Stingy Jack and other wandering evil spirits. In England, large beets are used. Immigrants from these countries brought the jack o'lantern tradition with them when they came to the United States. They soon found that pumpkins, a fruit native to America, make perfect jack o'lanterns.

Answer 6

there was a man named jack o that needed a lantern on his way home from his mother's house. Jack got lost but came across a homeless person. Jack then cut his head off and scooped the brains out, he then found a candle and put it in the head. Hence the term Jack O Lantern.

Answer 7

It originated in Ireland.