Treva Bedinghaus

The Halloween Legend of the Jack-o'-Lantern



Posted: Wednesday, September 27, 2006

by
http://www.dance.about.com

The Jack-o'-Lantern we carve at Halloween comes from an Irish legend about a man named Jack. According to one version, Jack lured the devil up a tree to pick him an apple. He then carved the sign of the cross into the tree trunk to keep the devil from coming out of the tree. Jack then made the devil promise that he would never take Jack's soul.

When Jack died, he wasn't allowed into heaven because of his evil ways. It is said that he did too much drinking. Looking for a place to go, Jack went to hell. When he got to hell, the devil refused to let Jack in, making good on his promise to him. Jack was surprised at the devil, assuming that he would never make good on a promise.

Jack then decided to move on. As he was walking away, the devil threw a hot coal at him. Jack was eating a turnip at the time and the turnip caught on fire. Ever since, Jack has wandered around the earth carrying his turnip jack-o'-lantern, looking for a place to sleep.

This legend certainly leads one to question why we carve pumpkins at Halloween instead of turnips.

Treva Bedinghaus is a freelance writer with a passion for dancing. She is the Guide to Danceon About.com.
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