October 25, 2022 – Theme Week Day 2

We’re continuing our Halloween theme week today, talking about jack-o’-lanterns! Jack-o’-lanterns come from the Irish legend of Stingy Jack. Stingy Jack was a drunk who made a deal with the devil and is doomed to roam the earth forever with only a hollowed turnip to light the way. Mysterious lights that were sometimes seen over bogs, swamps, and marshes were said to be Jack and his lantern wandering the countryside. And so he and the lights were called “Jack of the Lantern” or “Jack O’Lantern”. In Ireland and Scotland, people carved scary faces into turnips or potatoes to make their own version of Jack’s lantern, and to scare away any wandering evil spirits. Immigrants brought this tradition to America, where they found that pumpkins, which were much easier to carve, made perfect jack-o’-lanterns. Learn more here.