History of Jack O’ Lanterns

If you have kids or just love Halloween then you are probably going to be making pumpkins into jack o’ lanterns this year. This hard orange fruit is often carved into a ghoulish looking face or a character with a toothy grin. Jack o’ lanterns have been bringing joy to adults and children for centuries.

Stingy Jack
Jack o’ lanterns originated from the Irish tale of “Stingy Jack”. According to the legend, Stingy Jack asked the Devil to have a drink with him, but when it came time to actually pay for his drink, he didn’t want to. He then talked the Devil into transforming into a coin that Jack could have so that he could pay for his drink. After the Devil became the coin, Jack still didn’t pay for the drink, but kept the money. The Devil was not able to seek revenge on Jack because he was placed in his pocket, next to a silver cross that would not allow him to change back. After a while Jack told the Devil that he would only free him if he would not come after Jack for a year. The Devil agreed, but ended up not keeping his end of the bargain again. Similar events took place for many years and once Jack died the Devil decided that he didn’t want anything to do with him. He gave jack an ember and Jack placed it into a turnip that was hallowed out. The legend states that Jack now roams the earth with his Jack o-lantern lighting the way.

Pumpkin and Jack O’ Lantern Fun Facts
-Turnips were originally carved for Halloween instead of pumpkins. After the Irish immigrated to the U.S. they discovered that pumpkins were readily available in the fall and a lot easier to carve.
-Pumpkins are a type of squash. They belong to the Cucurbita family whose members include not only squash, but cucumbers as well.
-Morton, Illinois is considered to be the pumpkin capital of the world. About 90% of the pumpkins that are grown in America are grown in or around Morton.
-Pumpkins are grown in six of the world’s seven continents. Because of Antarctica’s harsh conditions, pumpkins will not grow there.

Jack o’ lanterns can be seen illuminating many doorsteps throughout the month of October. In order to make your jack o’ lantern last longer, keep it out of the sun and spray a little bit of pumpkin preservative on it.

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