Jack-o'-Lanterns
People had been carving gourds or pumpkins and using them as lanterns long before this practice was associated with Halloween. In 1850, for example, poet John Greenleaf Whittier mentioned the practice of his boyhood in "The Pumpkin": "When wild, ugly faces were carved in its skin, glaring out through the dark with a candle within!"
We don't know exactly when and why these lanterns became associated with Halloween in particular, though we do know it was in North America. But by the start of the 20th century, the connection was firmly established.
People had been carving gourds or pumpkins and using them as lanterns long before this practice was associated with Halloween. In 1850, for example, poet John Greenleaf Whittier mentioned the practice of his boyhood in "The Pumpkin": "When wild, ugly faces were carved in its skin, glaring out through the dark with a candle within!"
We don't know exactly when and why these lanterns became associated with Halloween in particular, though we do know it was in North America. But by the start of the 20th century, the connection was firmly established.
The name "Jack-o'-lantern" has changed in meaning several times. It was first recorded as a nickname for a night watchman, dating back to 1663. Around the same time, it was used as another name for a will-o'-the-wisp. It began to be used for pumpkin lanterns sometime in the 19th century. It's possible that the name simply went from the night watchman (a man holding a lantern) to the lantern itself.
On the other hand, an Irish legend tells of a miserly man named Jack who, while alive, tricked the Devil into agreeing not to take him into Hell. Upon his death, St. Peter wouldn't let Jack into Heaven, because he had been too stingy and sinful. The Devil wouldn't let him into Hell because of the deal they'd made. Jack was condemned to wander between Heaven and Hell with his lantern, looking for a place to rest and never finding one.
On the other hand, an Irish legend tells of a miserly man named Jack who, while alive, tricked the Devil into agreeing not to take him into Hell. Upon his death, St. Peter wouldn't let Jack into Heaven, because he had been too stingy and sinful. The Devil wouldn't let him into Hell because of the deal they'd made. Jack was condemned to wander between Heaven and Hell with his lantern, looking for a place to rest and never finding one.
2 comments:
That is really fascinating, thanks for posting! You have such great pictures on your blog, I need to add some to mine. You are so so gorgeous!
This is really Josh. That's cool that you got a blogspot. I check these every once in a while.(Still more than anything else)
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