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bobbing for apples and carving vegetables, as well as the fruits,
nuts, and spices cider associated with the day.
THE LEGEND OF “STINGY JACK”
People have been making jack-o’-lanterns at
for
centuries. The practice originated from an Irish myth about a man
nicknamed “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.
The original jack-o'-lanterns were carved from turnips, potatoes
or beets.
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