From carved turnips to pumpkins, here’s who the cunning drunken blacksmith was who fooled the devil himself
To Halloween it’s tradition dig and carve pumpkins, also called Jack-o’-lantern. But what exactly does that decorated pumpkin represent? And because it traditionally has a scary appearancea candle inside and is placed behind doors and windows during the night of All Saints’ Eve? Tradition goes beyond simple decoration and is intertwined with ancient legends and beliefs which make Jack-o’-lantern an emblematic symbol of Halloween. Here’s the story and meaning behind the pumpkin head, and the connection to the legend of Stingy Jack, the brilliant drunken blacksmith who even has deceived the devil.
The story of “Jack-o’-lantern”
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The origin of Halloween is closely linked to one Irish legendwhose protagonist was a man named Jack, a cunning and drunken blacksmith who met the devil one evening at the pub. The two began to chat and, due to his state of inebriation, Jack almost lost his soul. So, he played with cunning and made a pact with the devil: he asked him to turn into a coin to pay for the last drink; in exchange he would give him his soul. Instead of paying for the beer, however, Jack put the devil in his pouch, right next to one silver cross, which prevented Satan from returning to his original form. Then the devil agreed not to take Jack’s soul for ten years. But when the deal expires, Jack deceived him again, asking him to pick an apple from a tree. As soon as the devil had ascended, however, the man imprisoned him there carving a series of crosses into the bark. In exchange for his freedom, the devil then agreed to spare him eternal damnation. When he died, however, Jack was refused both Heaven and Hell. And so, after an incessant search for rest, she received a burning brand from the devil which she placed in a turnip. Since then, Jack is depicted with a carved turnip or pumpkin, I wander without peace with its lantern lit on the night before All Saints’ Day.
an ancient story
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Beyond the legend, the tradition of pumpkins carved during Halloween it has ancient roots, linked to Celtic, British and Irish beliefs. In the 19th century, with the arrival of Irish immigrants in the United States, this custom evolved thanks to the adoption of pumpkins, replacing the originally carved turnips or beets. The Jack-o’-lantern then very quickly became a iconic Halloween symbol, representing the essence of the party and the figure of Jack, the cunning Irish blacksmith who deceived the devil. For this reason, pumpkin lanterns were also a way to protect one’s home from the dead. Superstitious people sometimes used them to ward off spirits. The light from Jack’s lanterns was thought to serve a purpose identify vampires that, once recognized, they would give up hunting people.
the pumpkin head in Italy
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In various local Italian traditions, they can be found very similar customs to those related to Halloween. For example, in Sardinia, there is the feast of Saint Andrew, celebrated in Martis and other municipalities. On the night of November 30th, adults walk the streets of the town armed with grills, knives and axestrying to scare the kids and kids wandering around with scary carved pumpkins a skull shape, lit inside by candles. A similar custom also involved Tuscany, where, until a few decades ago, the “zozzo game” or “dry death” existed. During the summer, people they emptied a pumpkinthey carved eyes, nose and mouth, inserted a lit candle inside and the they settled outside the house, usually after sunset. In northern Lazio, in the years preceding the Second World War, pumpkins had been carved and lit since at least the second half of the nineteenth century. They called themselves “La Morte” or “Beccamorta”. Finally, in Polesine, the dug and illuminated pumpkins were called “lumassa” and were used to create playful apparitions of the souls of the deceased, so as to exorcise the fear of death.
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