In ireland and scotland, people feared lost souls like jacks, and so they had many ways of making sure the spirits stayed away. Once jack olantern died, was he allowed by saint pter to enter heaven. A jack olantern students book 2 versions for different class levels. The legend of jack o lantern and pumpkins social studies history.
There was a man in ireland called jack, who people called stingy jack. This brief history of the jackolantern is based on the most popular and accepted facts and legends. Jack o lantern has referred to carved pumpkin lanterns since the 19th century, but earlier than that the term was used to refer to night watchmen using a generic or unspecified name such as jack. James fenimore cooper wrote a nautical novel titled the jack o lantern le.
How jack olanterns originated in irish myth history. The irish referred to jack as jack of the lantern, and later jack olantern. As far back as 1663, the term meant a man with a lantern, or a night watchman. The story of jackolantern one halloween night, jack chanced upon the devil old nick in a pub. The irish potato famine 184550 forced more than 700,000 people to immigrate to america. Given the intended audience, katherine tegens book a creepy blend of irish folktale, faust and dickens stands out among. Katherine tegen weaves together legend and tradition to tell the story of one of halloweens most popular icons. The irish began referring to him as jack of the lantern and eventually jack o lantern. Hes a dapper gentleman with a jackolantern for a head an actual pumpkin, not a rutabaga, purple trousers, and a pinkandwhite polkadotted vest, who lives in a pumpkinshaped house and. Author katherine tegen spins a pourquoi tale based on irish folklore in this spooky halloween picturebook, which explains how the custom of carving jackolanterns came to be.
Every year, come october, carved pumpkins start to crop up on every porch and windowsill. The story of jackofthelantern, or stingy jack as he was known in life, usually goes something like this. Samhain and the irish history of halloween in ireland, irish mythology by leslie intriago october 14, 2015 1 comment while halloween is a holiday celebrated all over the world today, the irish take their celebration a little more seriously given the fact that the history of. Given the intended audience, katherine tegens book a creepy blend of irish folktale. I especially liked the snippet of history at the end not a part of the story. The irish began to refer to this ghostly figure as jack of the lantern, and then, simply jack olantern. Jack, an irish man, grew up in a simple village where he earned a reputation for cleverness as well as laziness. Olantern is an irish name and the jackolantern is thought to have originated with a stingy blacksmith named jack who drank too much and almost lost his soul to the devil. What is the purpose of jackolanterns and where do they. The story explores themes of amorality as well as the power of the irish gift of gab. History of the jack olantern and the legend of stingy jack. The jack olanterns creepy history legend has it that, in the 18th century, when an irish blacksmith named jack was denied entrance to heaven, he made a deal with the devil. One day, he tricked the devil into climbing up an apple tree.
The name is also tied to the irish legend of stingy jack, a drunkard who. Its name comes from the phenomenon of a strange light flickering over peat bogs, called willothewisp or jackolantern. A jacko lantern is a carved pumpkin, turnip, beet, or potato. Folks began carving and placing turnips and potatoes in their windows to scare away stingy jack.
If you knew the sufferings of that forsaken craythur how irish immigrants brought the halloween tradition of. According to irish folklore, a man called jack olantern was sentenced to roam the earth for eternity. In ireland, when ghost lights are seen in swamps, they are thought to be jacks improvised lantern moving about. How irish immigrants brought the halloween tradition of carving pumpkins originally turnips to america. A jackolantern or jack olantern is a carved pumpkin, turnip, or other root vegetable lantern associated with halloween. The jack olantern legend goes back hundreds of years in irish history. Now, as with many old tales, there are many variations told depending on who is telling the story. Ancient celtic cultures in ireland carved turnips on all hallows eve, and placed an ember in them, to ward off evil spirits. Since much of what is known regarding the beginnings of the jackolantern is sketchy, we have tried to provide you with the most accurate, albeit brief, account available. The tale of stingy jack and the jack o lanternjack olantern legend goes back hundr. Jack put the coal into a carvedout turnip and has been roaming the earth with ever since. When it comes time for jack to repay his debt, the deal doesnt quite end as he expected.
Irish legend has it that this use of jackolantern was named after a fellow named stingy jack. Jack, an irish blacksmith who happened to enjoy his drink had the misfortune of. Also a history lesson on how the jack o lantern came to be. On a fateful night, the devil overheard the tale of jacks evil deeds and. Irish immigrants in the us carried on the traditions of their homeland but used pumpkins instead of turnips which are much easier to carve. The connection between pumpkins and this origin is unclear though, possibly relating to celtic traditions of carving turnips, or to young people using carved. The 6 most famous pumpkins in literature and one rutabaga. In the 19th and 20th centuries people in scotland and ireland carved halloween lanterns from large yellow turnips.
These immigrants brought along their halloween traditions including the jack olantern. History of the halloween jack olantern student life. Jack olantern legend goes back hundreds of years in irish history. We will enjoy seeing this halloween all the pumpkins made into jack o lanterns and know how his face came to be. The tale which i am about to tell you about the jackolantern, comes from a very old irish story concerning a man known as stingy jack. The story of the jack olantern by katherine tegen goodreads. Who was jack olantern and why do we carve pumpkins on halloween.
Celebrate halloween, an ancient irish tradition, on the. The jackolantern comes from a story told in many variations. The history of the jackolantern and how it all began. Jack put the coal in a turnip and has been roaming the earth ever since according to legend. How the devil and an irish folk story created the jack o. The irish brought the tradition of carving pumpkins into jack olantern to america. Joan the wad, who tickled the maid and made her mad. Despite its seemingly american roots, the tradition of the pumpkin jack olantern at halloween is actually an irish tradition.
As the story goes, stingy jack was a miserable, old drunk who liked to play tricks on everyone. Stingy jack thought he had tricked the devil, but the devil had the last laugh, condemning jack to an eternity of wandering the planet with only an ember of hellfire for light. In ireland and scotland, people began to make their own versions of jacks 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. The story of jack o lantern coloring pages for kids. Learn about halloween, legend of stingy jack, and the. The surprising spooky origin story of the jackolantern. If youre never heard of this popular irish folktale, which also features the devil himself and a turnip youll enjoy learning more about the story of. These lights were named jack of the lantern, turning eventually into jack olantern. It begins the threeday observance of allhallowtide, the time in the liturgical year dedicated to remembering the dead. Who brought the tradition of carving pumpkins into jack olanterns to amercia.
It is the story of jack, a meanspirited, unpleasant, dishonest character, who never loses an. One night, stingy jack was drinking in a tavern when a mysterious man in dark clothes walked in. This irish story describes a man named stingy jack who invites the devil for drinks. As the myth has it, there was an irish lad by the name of jack who liked his tricks and loved his liquor. All sound and video is either used with permission.
Celtic halloween, the holiday ireland gave to america. This festival marked the end of the celtic year and was a night when the departed returned to their former homes, and other vengeful spirits and bad. Pumpkin season history of the jackolantern melinda. Stingy jack was a miserable, old drunk who took pleasure in playing tricks on just about everyone, from family to friends, his mother and even the devil himself.
Sandsungetty images an irish myth about a man nicknamed stingy jack is believed to. To this day, the jackolantern for jack o the lantern, another name for stingy jack is a popular halloween icon, and the idea of stingy jack has transcended into media in many incarnations. It was a learning book about stay away from bad people. With vibrant and dazzling illustrations from brandon dorman, the story of the jack olantern answers one of the mysteries of that spooky. Jack olanterns and the tale of stingy jack creepypasta. The irish began to refer to this ghostly figure as jack of the lantern, and then, simply jackolantern. The origins of the jackolantern, ireland the fairytale traveler. The history of the jack olantern heather on history.
The story of the jack olantern katherine tegen hardcover. The original jackolanterns were carved out of turnips. Today, making your own jackolantern is a wholesome halloween activity thats fun for the whole family except maybe the person whos tasked with removing the gourds innards. As most great stories go, the history of the jackolantern derives from an old folktale.
Pumpkins with ghoulish faces and illuminated by candles are a sure sign of the halloween season. The story of the jack olantern tegen, katherine, dorman, brandon on amazon. Stingy jack was a miserable old drunk who took pleasure in playing tricks on just about everyone. Such adaptations usually portray him as possessing a jackolantern for a head, while other cases simply portray him as possessing a pumpkin. Poor jack was forced to wander for years in the darkness between heaven and hell, with nothing but this makeshift lamp for light. A ghostly figure of the night, olantern walked with a burning coal inside of a carvedout turnip to light his way. This custom has become less prevalent in recent years as supermarkets have begun selling the larger and easiertocarve american pumpkins. Thus, the first incarnation of the jack olantern was born. The term jackolantern was first applied to people, not pumpkins. The history of jack o lanterns the short sleeve club. Halloween or halloween a contraction of hallows even or hallows evening, also known as allhalloween, all hallows eve, or all saints eve, is a celebration observed in many countries on 31 october, the eve of the western christian feast of all hallows day. Why someone would want to have a cocktail with the devil is beyond us but we digress. There was a man named jack, who was notorious for his sinful ways the worst of which was stinginess. He received a certificate from guinness world book of records a few month later.
Frank baumjack pumpkinhead first appeared in the marvelous land of oz, the second of baums oz series. Irish emigrants brought their many traditions to the shores of the united states in the early 1800s. A long time ago in celtic ireland, witches used to use skulls with burning candles inside and leave them on roadways to lead the ways to their coven meetings. An irish curmudgeon named stingy jack is the protagonist of this classic gaelic folktale. Jack was part of an irish myth thought to have originated in. The history of the jack olantern that has become a staple in halloween culture over the years is also steeped in ancient irish mythology. The practice originated from an irish myth about a man nicknamed. The practice of decorating jackolanterns originated in ireland, where large turnips and potatoes served as early canvasses. As jack was condemned to wander the earth forever he asked the devil for a little light and the devil gave him an ember of coal placed inside a turnip. When the devil came to claim jacks soul one evening, jack cleverly persuaded him to have a drink first. Few things go more handinhand with halloween than jackolanterns.