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Jack-o-Lanterns Orgins

Was thinking about this as Halloween is coming up. Where did the concept of jack-o-lanterns come from? When did people start making the shift from carving faces to carving whatever? Why use pumpkins?

 

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Saffy Laurio

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  1. J Starr 4425

    According to wikipedia:

    "The carving of vegetables has been a common practice in many parts of the world, and gourds were one of the earliest plant species farmed by humans c. 10,000 years ago.[4]

    It is believed that the custom of making jack-o'-lanterns at Hallowe'en time began in Ireland.[5][6][7] In the 19th century, "turnips or mangel wurzels, hollowed out to act as lanterns and often carved with grotesque faces," were used on Halloween in parts of Ireland and the Scottish Highlands.[8] In these Gaelic-speaking regions, Halloween was also the festival of Samhain and was seen as a time when supernatural beings (the Aos Sí), and the souls of the dead, walked the earth. Jack-o'-lanterns were also made at Halloween time in Somerset (see Punkie Night) during the 19th century.[8]"

    I had heard about the carving of turnips from my mother's side- they are Norwegian- although we always carved pumpkins. And, again from wikipedia:

    "The application of the term to carved pumpkins in American English is first seen in 1834.[15] The carved pumpkin lantern's association with Halloween is recorded in the 1 November 1866 edition of the Daily News (Kingston, Ontario):

    The old time custom of keeping up Hallowe'en was not forgotten last night by the youngsters of the city. They had their maskings and their merry-makings, and perambulated the streets after dark in a way which was no doubt amusing to themselves. There was a great sacrifice of pumpkins from which to make transparent heads and face, lighted up by the unfailing two inches of tallow candle.[16]"


    There is yet another origin version:

    "Another version of the story says that Jack was getting chased by some villagers from whom he had stolen. He then met Satan, who claimed it was time for him to die. However, the thief stalled his death by tempting Satan with a chance to bedevil the church-going villagers chasing him. Jack told Satan to turn into a coin with which he would pay for the stolen goods (Satan could take on any shape he wanted); later, when the coin (Satan) disappeared, the Christian villagers would fight over who had stolen it. The Devil agreed to this plan. He turned himself into a silver coin and jumped into Jack's wallet, only to find himself next to a cross Jack had also picked up in the village. Jack had closed the wallet tight, and the cross stripped the Devil of his powers; and so he was trapped.

    In both folktales, Jack lets Satan go only after he agrees to never take his soul. Many years later, the thief died, as all living things do. Of course, Jack's life had been too sinful for him to go to heaven; however, Satan had promised not to take his soul, and so he was barred from hell as well.[27] Jack now had nowhere to go. He asked how he would see where to go, as he had no light, and Satan mockingly tossed him a burning coal, to light his way. Jack carved out one of his turnips (which were his favorite food), put the coal inside it, and began endlessly wandering the Earth for a resting place.[28] He became known as "Jack of the Lantern", or jack o'lantern."


    So, exactly where or how jack o' lanterns started, the main idea seems to have been a way to scare away bad spirits known to be busy on Samhain- the night which begins the dark half of the year, winter.  Whether the carving of vegetables into a receptacle for a candle stub started with gourds, turnips, apples or pumpkins is unknown- but having a light for the long road home on a dark and wind-wailing night likely brought some comfort- or so it was hoped.



    UTC 2020-10-12 02:52 PM 0 Comments

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