by Leah Hawkins
On Halloween night you can find many jack-o-lanterns. But do you know how jack o-lanterns came to be?
The history of the jack-o-lanterns is a long and mysterious path. People still aren ‘t quite sure what started this tradition.
Though there are many ways people think this tradition started, there are three main theories that are commonly heard.
The first one is about a wandering soul named Stingy Jack. It’ s also believed people would carve out pumpkins to scare away spirits. Closer to this age Jack-o-lanterns are seen as simple pranks.
Long ago there was a myth about a lost soul named Stingy Jack. This spirit was said to trick the devil. Jack o- lanterns were then named after this soul.
The second myth is about how people in the past would carve faces into pumpkins and squashes to scare away evil spirits. The lights inside represent supernatural beings. Which leads to how they were also used to scare or prank people.
Pranksters not only carve faces into pumpkins, but on Halloween night some people wander on the road with glowing veggie sticks to trick people into thinking they saw a lost soul such as Stingy Jack.
The history of pumpkin carving has a long and mysterious path that gets more twisted throughout the years. But one thing remains certain, pumpkin carving is one of the most memorable traditions during Halloween, starting from a wandering soul named Stingy Jack, warding off evil spirits, to now being used as simple pranks. Next time you see a jack-o-lantern don ‘t just think of it as a simple carving but think of its history.