Jack-o’-lanterns receive their name from Jack of the Lantern, an Irish Catholic fabled to walk the night forever with a coal from hell to light his way but have deeper roots in the Celtic New Year (Samhain). Why the Irish carved turnips and later pumpkins at Halloween resonates deeply with Irish Catholicism and even older Celtic pagan beliefs.
Fable of Jack-O’-Lantern
Sources dating from the 18th century mention a man named Jack, who tricked the Devil several times and managed to get himself banned from hell itself. Some renditions of the fable claim Jack was a drunk and so nasty that he could not get to heaven when he died.
Jack tricked the Devil in various ways. Known as “Stingy Jack,” Jack offered to buy the devil a drink, but then wouldn’t pay for the drink. He convinced the Devil to turn into a coin to pay for the drink, but then placed the coin in his pocket next to a cross, effectively trapping the devil. The Devil negotiated with Jack, in one source offering him ten more years of life and in another by barring him from hell.
In another account Jack manages to trap the Devil in a tree by carving a cross on the tree and negotiates himself a longer life and freedom from hell that way.
Regardless of how Jack tricked the Devil, the Devil got him in the end. Jack found himself barred from hell when he died but unworthy of heaven, too. The Devil offered Jack a burning coal from hell to light Jack’s way in the world. Jack carved a large turnip and placed the coal inside. As Jack roams the earth, the turnip, glowing eerily, lights his way. The Irish named Jack, Jack of the Lantern, shortened to the familiar jack-o’-lantern.
The Irish traditionally carved turnips or potatoes, plentiful in autumn in their homeland, to light Jack’s way, and the way of other evil spirits. The jack-o'-lantern's light was supposed to ward off evil spirits, that they might move on into the night and not stay in that town or village.
Jack-O’-Lantern and Irish Catholicism
Catholicism embraces a theology of hell and promotes a code of behaviors for eternal salvation. Many local fables, like Jack-O’-Lantern, existed in Catholic countries in the pre-Modern era to warn believers of the consequences if they did not hold to their beliefs.
Irish parents and grandparents likely shared the story of Jack of the Lantern and lit turnips both to celebrate Halloween, the Eve of All Hollow’s, or All Saints Day and to remind their children not to be like Jack and end up in hell by commiserating with the Devil.
Jack-o’-lantern’s Roots in Celtic Ireland
Celebrations around October 31 have a deeper, pre Christian meaning in Ireland and elsewhere in Europe. Samhain, the traditional Celtic New Year celebrated around October 31, was a time when the Celts believed the space between the living and the dead was thin and the pagan basis of the modern holiday of Halloween.
Celts performed rituals and practices such as wearing costumes, sharing treats, and lighting turnips to appease the dead and protect themselves from evil during the transition into the new year.
As Christianity spread throughout Europe in the early and late Middle Ages, it absorbed local customs into itself by creating stories or fables, such as Jack of the Lantern, to make a pagan practice Christian. Medieval and pre-Modern Catholics in Ireland incorporated traditional Samhain activities, such as carving turnips, into their celebration of Halloween long after they had converted to Christianity.
It is unknown if Jack was originally a character from Celtic lore, though “hell” and the “Devil,” decidedly Catholic elements, may have been absorbed from an earlier story. In any case, the Catholic Irish, like their Celtic ancestors, practiced the tradition of carving turnips with scary faces or protective designs to ward off evil.
Jack-o’-lanterns as Pumpkins Today
Jack-o’-lanterns came to America after the Irish potato famine (1846) with the Irish immigrants who carried their beliefs and traditions with them. Immigrants chose to carve pumpkins, instead of turnips and potatoes, as pumpkins were more plentiful and cheaper in the New World. Other Americans started carving jack-o’-lanterns, too, and an Irish tradition became a part of the larger American culture.
Today, as many choose the perfect pumpkin, carefully carve it, light it, and place in to light the night this Halloween, they join centuries of Irish in celebrating October 31 and lighting Jack of the Lantern's way.
Sources:
Austin, C. “Ancient Samhain Festival Burns Brightly at Halloween.” Available online through the Celtic Connection database, 2009.
“History of the Jack-O’-Lantern.” Available online through the History Channel’s website, 2009.
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