Stingy Jack/ Jack-O-Lanterns

Have you ever wondered were Jack-O-Lanterns come from? or how they got satarted? If you do,wonder no more because below is the story of how they statrted.

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 silvercross 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 if Jack should 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 trees 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 legend goes God would not allow such an unsaving 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 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 in Scotland people began to make their own versions of Jack's lanterns by carving scary faces into turnips or potatos and placing them into windows or near doors to frighten away Stingy Jack and other wondering evil spirits.Immigrants from these countires 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.

From www.History.com

Some people say God gave Jack the lantern so that he wouldn’t have to live in the darkness, and others say that the devil was so furious with Jack for tricking him twice that he cut off Jack’s head and replaced it with a carved pumpkin.

 
Either way you tell it or read it, it's a great story hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.

                                           Isamar