Illuminating Jack-o'-Lantern Folklore

Copyright keenesentinel

It’s hard to believe that it is October, given the incredibly warm weather we’ve been having. I am definitely enjoying being outside with the sun on my face but at the same time, in the back of my head, I am already preparing for winter. October is such a transitional month for us in New England with the leaves changing and people decorating their yards with fantastic Halloween décor. I thought it would be really interesting to delve into the jack-o’-lantern lore. I actually have never read up on the origin of jack-o’-lanterns, and I was humbly surprised by the interesting tale. Apparently way back when, in Ireland, there was a man named Stingy Jack. He was an interesting soul it appears, who over and over tricked the devil. This trickster was not allowed into heaven or hell and the devil gave him an ember of coal in the darkness which he put into a carved turnip so he could see his way, wandering on forever. The Irish then began to carve turnips, potatoes, gourds and other similar vegetables to put a candle inside to thwart off the evil spirits. These pieces were then put in windows and doorways. When the Irish immigrated, they brought this folklore with them and the commonly known jack-o’-lantern face became one of Halloween’s most iconic symbols. During the 12 years that I had my vintage shop in Jaffrey I had seen so many fun antique and vintage jack-o’-lantern collections; from papier-mâché to paper to plastic — wonderful and fun pieces! These photos from friends and past customers say it all. The folklore of the jack-o’-lantern lives on. Happy Halloween! Kari Lindstrom, known for The Melamine Cup on Facebook, is a past board member of The Jaffrey Chamber of Commerce and has a background in career counseling.