HISTORY OF HALLOWEEN – JACK O’ LANTERN
Approximately 2000 years ago, a tradition began which has carried on throughout the ages - until present day. This custom is known as Halloween (shortened from the original ‘All Hallows’ Even’, to All Hallows’ Eve). This originated in northern Europe, especially in the Uk and Northern France by a culture of pagan people, who occupied these regions - known as the Celts and Scottish Gaelic’s.
At the end of their harvesting season on the evening of 31st October (All Hallows’ Eve), they dressed up in animal skins and held a festival known as ‘Samhain’ (meaning, end of the month in the ancient Celtic calendar and the beginning of a new year). The ceremony was conducted by the Celtic Priests (Druids), where animals were sacrificed and provisions made ready for the feared winter months.
Winter was a time when death rates rose and it was thought by the Celts that Hallows’ evening created a periphery between life after the summer months and the beginning of the winter death season, where evil spirits were believed to be rife.
As the sun began to set on Hallow’s Eve, people believed death and disease would soon follow. Bonfires were lit and the celebrations began to try appease the evil spirits. This custom went on annually for centuries and was known as a Celtic tradition, until the Christians also began celebrating it.
Halloween, also became a celebration on ‘All Saints Day’ after Pope’s Gregory III and Gregory IV decided that the Christian feast ‘All Saints Day’ held on May 13 in honour of Saints, should be changed to November 1. However, the feast began using the ‘Florentine calendar’ (meaning: celebrated on the previous evening after sun set) and was known as Hallow’s eve…bringing the two traditions together.
The Irish are famed for introducing Halloween to North America during their ‘Great Famine’ in 1846 when many emigrated there. From this tradition, the Americans initiated the emblem, ‘Jack of the Lantern’ (now known as ‘Jack O’ Lantern’). However, this was supposedly not the case, ‘Jack O’ Lantern’ was apparently associated with the North American harvest season long before the Americans were introduced by the Irish to Halloween.
JACK O’ LANTERN
Irish folklore tells a different story of the origin of ‘Jack O’ Lantern’:
It was said, a man called Jack was being hunted down by village folk from who he had pilfered earlier in the day. As he was running through the woods, he was met by the devil himself, who told Jack, ‘now it is time to die.’ Desperate – Jack convinced the devil to trick the church going villagers by turning himself (the devil) into a silver coin for which Jack could then pay what he owed. Then he told the devil to disappear and cause the villagers to fight over the whereabouts of the coin.
The devil succumbed to this plan and turned himself into a coin, which Jack promptly put into his wallet and fastened. Little did the devil know, that Jack had a cross in his wallet – also stolen from the villagers. The cross immediately stripped the devil of all his powers and Jack only agreed to let the devil out if he promised that his soul would remain free.
Years later, when Jack eventually died, his soul was considered too sinful to be allowed into heaven, therefore his only other route was to go to hell. However, the devil had promised not to take his soul and therefore Jack could not enter. Jack asked the devil how he would find his way and with what light. The devil laughed and threw Jack an ever-burning ember from the pits of hell. Jack then found a turnip, dug out all the flesh, and cut holes into its side. He placed the ember inside and began his journey looking for a place of rest, but Jack could never find such a place and was bound to wander the earth for eternity.
The twisted, evil form of ‘Jack O’ Lantern’ can sometimes be seen on Halloween – but be warned!…beware of looking into the ember flame!
Halloween superstitions, read them on my paranormal forum – click on this
Read about Jack o’ lantern on wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack-o’-lantern
Back to home page click on this
Copyright, J Reynolds 2009 @ World Mysteries And True Ghost Tales.
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Oh there are not enough words in the English language to say how AWESOME that was! Really, I’m not just saying that….this was such a wonderful history and tribute to what Halloween and the jack o’lantern meant. I always have felt so drawn to the UK and the traditions….it’s such a commerciaized version now….here in the States anyway. Don’t get me wrong…I love the whole dressing up and decorating the house….but there is such a rich tradition behind it, and I really appreciate that this article brought that home to me.
Happy Samhain everyone! A lovely Scottish woman on Talk Paranormal wished us all that the other day, I thought that was great!
OMG, that was so cool! I’ve heard the story of Jack before, but never heard of the version with the ember from Hell………….I love Halloween!
Welcome, it was wonderful to research this and learn about it myself!
love you too EP
Very well written and informative. Most I did know except for the embers, that was new to me. It sheds a different light on the celebration when you think of the reasons behind the custom. Happy All Hallows’ Eve!
Thank you Pitch, I enjoyed finding all this out, i had very little idea about how halloween came to be before recently researching it.
Happy Hallows’ Eve to you too
You are the best, EP…..and Isis, EP just told me that the avatar I have on “the other ghost forum” is the one you have for here…I had no idea! I wasn’t trying to steal up on your avatar….I guess great minds think alike!
I have bookmarked this article so I won’d lose it EP…it is an excellent reference point, and very helpful in aiding me in decorating the house this year…go back to a true Halloween theme. Thanks again for sharing it!
Oh I told Isis your avatar would have been a coincidence Scary and she agreed. Isis uses it in my forum. The link to my forum is on my homepage. Yes, great minds do think alike don’t they, and i was thinking of using that one too once
ha ha.
I’m going to put some traditions people like to do on halloween too and add a link to this article, so glad you like it, it was such a complicated article to write…phew! How are you still liking your new career in writing articles Scary? Are you doing all the Christmas stuff?
You guy’s we can all look alike, no problem there luv ya!
Love you guys too…and I haven’t been able to write more than the two for the Christmas site…there were several on there…I believe “Haunted” wrote most of them. There on ChristmasChimney.com…the ones about Christmas traditions around the world and the origins of Santa Claus *SHAMELESS PLUG ALERT*!!!
I will look forward to reading of the origins you find on the traditions we enjoy now on Halloween…and I joined your forum last night!
Going to get out my deco’s and make my house a haunted house, then every year my kids and i play the witch soup game, no trick or treating as halloween has only been in France since 1996 and alot of the old people would freak if we knocked on their doors!
Are you Isis, what today?
Northern France had it going on supposedly, way back then, but if it’s anything like the UK…. Wales, Ireland and Scotland were no way part of England for many years.
No they think it’s an american tradition and no one here apperciates it, but there are stores that do decorate for halloween!
Thanks for joining the forum Scary, it’s really starting to pick up in there now. I have to concentrate on that as much as on here now and keep articles interesting.
Have a look at my article on Christmas chimney, called ‘Christmas at Aunt Amy’s’ and i had a couple of recipe’s too for Christmas dinner.
Hey Isis, i must admit, i really had no idea about the origin of halloween until recently when i started researching and since it started in my countries, then i’m a bit ashamed until now.
Are you decorating today Isis for halloween? Last year, my family decorated for Christmas about 6 weeks early…great! we loved it! So go on if you want, do it!
I just have to get into the closet…………big hassle….. ha ha and then I iwill have my jack o lanterns and ghosts of course I can’t forget the witches too!!! BOOOOOOOOO!
Hey Eddie (Isis) you’re tipsy , I don’t mind, you’re wonderful Eddie…cheers darling!
Cheers Patsy, you want to come over and help me on this one? Every year the kids look forward to my haunted house, I even put up those fake cobwebs, I have one in the living room that IS REAL and I was going to take it down, but I figured that I would just leave it for Halloween ha ha!
Morning Isis, I remember you telling me about that witch soup game, i’m going to put some halloween games in my forum would you put that one in there? I’ll call it, ‘halloween games’. Cheers Eddie darling
Btw, can’t come over and join you on halloween, it’s my daughter’s wedding…what a shame, i’m going to miss all the halloween fun!
Definately, it’s also fun for adults too! It’s a memory game!
Thanks Isis, i’ve put a post in my forum.
Are there any references to this explanation?
Yes, you can check it out on wikipedia and other sites, i just put it all in my own words.
Girls you all had given me a nice time to look at ur posts this story IS WONDERFUL I didn’t know about halloween too and the jack o lantern stuff thanks. Thanks eyepriestess for the link to this story fantastic I hope you all enjoy halloween!@!@!
Hey Manik, great to see you here
You have a great Halloween too!
I like Ghosts So I like halloween too. Thanks again.
Hello EP Iv’e only just got round to reading this, that was a wondeful piece of research and writen so well. You have a way of making things clear and enjoyable to read. I did not know about Jack o’ Lantern it was really interesting, thank you for bringing this to us.
Thank you Andrew, glad you enjoyed it, it was interesting researching.