Hey there, pumpkin lovers! 🎃 Ever wonder how this humble gourd became such a big deal? Let's take a stroll through the pumpkin patch of history and discover why we're all so possessed with this autumn fruit. ( yes, you heard me right – it’s not a vegetable but it doesn’t taste too sweet either!)
The Halloween Connection: Stingy Jack.
The pumpkin's link to Halloween comes from an old Irish folktale about a guy named Stingy Jack. And read on because this story is wild! Jack was known for being a deceiver, manipulator, and most of all, you guessed it, stingy.
One fateful night, Jack runs into the Devil himself at a pub. Being the crafty guy that he is, Jack convinces the devil to turn himself into a coin so Jack can pay for their drinks. But, instead of using the coin, Jack pops it into his pocket right next to a silver cross, trapping the Devil.
Jack, being Jack, strikes a deal: he’ll free the Devil, but only if the Devil promises not to claim Jack’s soul for ten years. The Devil, probably regretting his drinking buddy, agrees.
Fast forward ten years, and the Devil shows up to collect. But, Jack, still as crafty as a mischievous leprechaun, asks for one last request:
Can you climb that tree and get me a juicy red apple?’
The Devil figuring what’s the harm in that, does so. Quick as a werewolf, Jack carves crosses all around the tree trunk, trapping the Devil once again. This time, Jack makes the Devil promise to never take his soul to hell. No Dantes Inferno here please!
But like most bad deeds, they eventually catch up with you. Jack’s life of trickery ends with him passing. Here’s where it becomes interesting. Heaven doesn’t want naughty Jack but because of his deal with the Devil he can’t go there either. Instead, the Devil gives Jack a burning coal to light his way as he wonders the Earth for eternity.
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Jack places this coal in a carved-out turnip, and thus, the first jack-o-lantern is born. From that night on, Jack of the lantern (or jack-o-lantern) roams the world, a lost soul with only a flickering light to guide him.
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When Irish immigrants brought the spooky story to America, they discovered that pumpkins, which were plentiful (many settlers found them easy to farm and grow), easy to carve, made perfect jack-o-lanterns. They would carve scary faces into them and place candles inside, not only to remember the legend but also to frighten Stingy Jack and any other wandering evil spirits away.
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