Jack-o'-Lantern

 

10,000 years ago: Early pumpkin domestication in the Americas

~8,000 BCE: Archaeological evidence of cultivated pumpkin

1492 onwards:  European contact with American crops

16th century:  Pumpkin introduced into European agriculture

1640s:  Word pumpkin recorded in English

17th century: Pumpkin pie documented in English-language cooking

19th century onwards:  Pumpkin becomes a major symbol of American autumn traditions

The Jack-o'-Lantern is one of the most recognisable symbols of Halloween. Its history combines ancient Celtic traditions, Irish folklore, Christian festivals and the arrival of European immigrants in North America.

The most famous explanation of the Jack-o'-Lantern comes from an Irish folktale about a man called Stingy Jack.

According to the legend:

1. Jack invited the Devil for a drink but did not want to pay.

2. He persuaded the Devil to transform himself into a silver coin.

3. Jack trapped the coin beside a silver cross, preventing the Devil from changing back.

4. Later, Jack tricked the Devil again by trapping him in a tree.

5. Jack eventually died, but neither Heaven nor Hell accepted him.

6. The Devil gave Jack a burning coal to illuminate his eternal wandering.

7. Jack placed the coal inside a hollowed-out turnip.

                                                  

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