Jack O' The Lantern
In case any of you didn't already know this...
The story I know about how this whole pumpkin carving thing came about involves a nasty tempered, drunken Irishman named Jack. When the Devil was about to take him below, he tricked the Devil into leaving him alone forever. So when he finally died, he couldn't get into Heaven and the Devil refused to take him in Hell since he'd promised to leave him be forever. So Jack ends up wandering the earth as a spirit with a coal inside a hollowed out turnip for his only light. People would carve turnips or potatoes and light them in a window to keep Jack from their doors.
When the Irish immigrated to America during the famine, they found the pumpkin was a plentiful, easy carving, substitute and used those instead.
Hence the name, Jack O' the Lantern.
Or today, Jack O' Lantern, for short.
So, there you go.
The story I know about how this whole pumpkin carving thing came about involves a nasty tempered, drunken Irishman named Jack. When the Devil was about to take him below, he tricked the Devil into leaving him alone forever. So when he finally died, he couldn't get into Heaven and the Devil refused to take him in Hell since he'd promised to leave him be forever. So Jack ends up wandering the earth as a spirit with a coal inside a hollowed out turnip for his only light. People would carve turnips or potatoes and light them in a window to keep Jack from their doors.
When the Irish immigrated to America during the famine, they found the pumpkin was a plentiful, easy carving, substitute and used those instead.
Hence the name, Jack O' the Lantern.
Or today, Jack O' Lantern, for short.
So, there you go.
posted by pitfinder at 11:27 PM
3 Comments:
It all seems like such a waste of perfectly good food to be carving it for lanterns.
You can still eat the scooped out parts. Some people make soups and pie and such.
But it is so much fun I can't wait till tonight so that I can take pictures of my dressed up friends, check out the lit up kids faces as they get candy...
yeah, did I mention candy?
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