Carving vegetables began in Ireland and was brought to the United States. It was bases on a folk tale.The Legend of ‘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.
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 carved-out turnip and has been roaming the Earth with it ever since. The Irish began to refer to this ghostly figure as “Jack of the Lantern,” and then, simply “Jack O’Lantern.”
An early precursor to trick-or-treating is believed to be “souling,” the tradition of going door to door asking for “soul cakes,” a treat similar to biscuits, in exchange for prayers for the dead in purgatory. It was done the night before All Souls Day on November 1.
While Americans are thought to have created Halloween, it was fully a Northern European thing until the Irish brought it to the United States. It lingered in the U.S. for decades before it began to take hold again world wide post internet.
The real moral of the story here is that the devil is apparently a gullible jackass, lmao. He’d never survive the prank youtube channels of the modern day.
The Irish have some awesome legends, though. The wolfwalkers are my favorite! They also made the legend into a movie that is up there with Brother Bear and the Lion King. Highly recommend it https://youtu.be/d_Z_tybgPgg?feature=shared
Carving vegetables began in Ireland and was brought to the United States. It was bases on a folk tale.The Legend of ‘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.
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 carved-out turnip and has been roaming the Earth with it ever since. The Irish began to refer to this ghostly figure as “Jack of the Lantern,” and then, simply “Jack O’Lantern.”
Wow. That was a neat story. Thanks for sharing!
Trick or Treating is also not American.
An early precursor to trick-or-treating is believed to be “souling,” the tradition of going door to door asking for “soul cakes,” a treat similar to biscuits, in exchange for prayers for the dead in purgatory. It was done the night before All Souls Day on November 1.
While Americans are thought to have created Halloween, it was fully a Northern European thing until the Irish brought it to the United States. It lingered in the U.S. for decades before it began to take hold again world wide post internet.
The real moral of the story here is that the devil is apparently a gullible jackass, lmao. He’d never survive the prank youtube channels of the modern day.
The Irish have some awesome legends, though. The wolfwalkers are my favorite! They also made the legend into a movie that is up there with Brother Bear and the Lion King. Highly recommend it https://youtu.be/d_Z_tybgPgg?feature=shared
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