THE ORIGIN OF THE JACK O'LANTERN

In Irish tradition, a tale is told of a stingy man named Jack, who asked the devil to join him for a drink on Halloween. The devil agreed, provided Jack paid for it. Thinking he could trick the bartender, Jack told the devil, "You can change yourself into anything, so change into a sixpence. After I've paid for the drink, you can change yourself back."

The devil agreed, uttered a spell, and became a sixpence. But Stingy Jack put the coin into his pocket next to a silver cross, which prevented the devil from changing back into himself. Jack made a bargain with the devil. "If you leave me alone for a year, I'll let you out," Jack said. The devil agreed, and Jack released him.

Jack had good intentions. He meant to take his paycheck home to his wife. He meant to go to church and to give charity to the poor. But as soon as he was away from the devil, he went back to his old stingy ways.

The next Halloween, he met the devil on the road. Jack thought the devil had come for his soul. Again, he tricked the devil into leaving him alone for 10 years. But before a year had passed, Jack died.

He was turned back at the gates of Heaven, and made his way to Hell. But the Devil would not let him in. "You tricked me and made me promise not to claim your soul," the devil said.

Jack replied, "It is dark. How will I find my way?"

The devil threw him a glowing coal. Jack put the coal inside a turnip, and it has been lighting his way ever since, as he wanders the face of the earth, earning him the name "Jack-o'-Lantern." 

Irish and Scottish children traditionally carve turnips or potatoes into jack-o'-lanterns. They select the largest turnips from the harvest, then hollow them out, carve them into faces and put candles inside. English children hollow out large beets. American children have come to use pumpkins, simply because the gourds grow so easily in the United States.