Behind that jack-o'-lantern's face is a story — a story about ancient traditions and Irish American culture.
Elizabeth Stack of the Irish American Heritage Museum explains the spooky origins of the jack-o'-lantern.
While those words could be used to affectionately describe a few of our own family and friends, Irish legend has it they can also aptly describe the namesake of the jack-o’-lantern. Jack did this not only once but twice. Both times, Jack was dying, and when the devil came for his soul, Jack tricked him into giving him several more years of life.So when Jack was dying for the third time, the devil refused to take his soul, and since Jack led a life of misery and cruelty, God wouldn’t take him either."He was condemned to roam the earth, stuck between both heaven and hell," said Stack.Legend says the devil gave Jack a bright, glowing ember from the fires of hell.
According to Stack, people in Ireland began to create their own jack-o’-lanterns as far back as around the 17th century. Focusing on the dead, specifically during fall, is part of an age-old tradition in Irish culture. In fact, this focus and that of Halloween can be traced back to the very first people of Ireland.
Samhain also had a spiritual element in that it was the time of year when the veil between the dead and the living was at its thinnest.," Stack said. "So if there was any unfinished business, they could come back."
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