Definition of Jack-O´-Latern

On the Halloween holiday, one of the most widespread traditions is to decorate the exterior of the house with a hollow pumpkin illuminated and carved with a appearance human. In Ireland this original figure is known by the name of Jack-O´-Latern.

From the Irish legend of a cunning thief to the illuminated Halloween pumpkin

A Celtic folklore tale from Ireland tells the story of a thief named Stingy Jack. According to legend, this thief received a visit from the devil, who announced that his final hour had come. However, the ingenious thief managed to deceive him and made him promise the devil that he would not claim his soul after his death.

When Stingy Jack died shortly after, God did not want him to go to heaven because of his lies and the devil kept his promise and did not send him to hell. In this way, the only alternative Jack had was to wander the world. So, in order not to get lost during the night, he made a curious lantern: a piece of burning coal inside an empty turnip. In this way, Stingy Jack became known among the Irish as Jack O'Latern or Jack Lantern in Spanish.

Around the middle of the 19th century, Ireland suffered a deep economic crisis as a result of a poor potato harvest, the most important crop for the livelihood of the population.

This circumstance caused a large part of the population emigrate to the United States. In the new territory the Irish continued the custom of celebrating Halloween with illuminated hollow turnips. However, as turnips were difficult to find, they decided to replace them with hollow gourds with a grotesque human appearance.

Although with the passage of time the celebration of Halloween has become a event In the globalized world, the name Jack-O'-Lantern is used almost exclusively in Ireland. To the margin of the term used, the tradition Hanging illuminated lanterns on Halloween night is currently a worldwide phenomenon.

Illuminated pumpkins with human faces and wild fire

Those who have investigated the remote origin of figures Jack-O´-Lantern consider that they could be related to a strange phenomenon of nature, the wisp. This occurs in marshy and humid areas when the decomposing remains of some animals emit flames at night due to the effect of the combustion of some gases.

It is believed that the name will-o'-the-wisp in Old English could be the origin of the story of the Jack O'Lantern, the ghost who wandered at night with a lantern.

Photo Fotolia: Kai Beercrafter