The term “jack-o’-lantern” originated in 17th century Britain, where it was used to refer to a man with a lantern or to a night watchman. The British would call men whose names they didn’t know by a common name like Jack. Thus, an unknown man carrying a lantern was sometimes called “Jack with the lantern” or “Jack of the lantern.”
According to one theory, the term “jack-o’-lantern” originated from Irish folklore. As the story goes, a man called Stingy Jack invited the devil out for drinks and asked him to play a parlor game to see if the devil could turn himself into a coin so that they could pay for the drinks. After the devil obliged, Jack ran off with the coin, and the devil was trapped inside it. Jack freed the devil based on the deal that he would not claim Jack’s soul when he died. Jack also played another trick on the devil to extend his life.
When Jack finally died, God wouldn’t let him into heaven, and the devil wouldn’t let him into hell. Instead, “Jack O’Lantern” aimlessly roams the earth for eternity with a lantern carved from a turnip to light his way. Whether this theory about the origin of the term “jack-o’-lantern” is proven or not, it’s become a popular and not-too-scary ghost story today.
Some believe that jack-o’-lanterns represent Christian souls in purgatory. On All Saints’ Day (November 1), Roman Catholics visit tombstones to honor the memory of deceased relatives, and on All Souls’ Day (November 2), Catholics pray for those souls believed to be in purgatory because they died with the guilt of lesser sins on their souls. Stingy Jack is believed to be roaming endlessly in a sort of purgatory, so it’s not difficult to see the connection.
Turnip lanterns were used before the modern pumpkin jack-o’-lantern! In ancient Ireland, revelers hollowed out large turnips (or potatoes or beets) and carved them into a demon’s face to frighten away spirits. They lit the turnips from within with a candle or a piece of smoldering coal.
They then placed the lanterns in the windows and doorways of their homes, believing that the carvings would scare off evil spirits and welcome deceased loved ones inside. Irish immigrants arriving in the New World during the early 1800s found the plentiful, easier-to-carve pumpkins ready substitutes for turnips.
During Samhain, an extra place was set at the table as an offering to deceased loved ones. Food was also placed outside, near the doorway, to appease bothersome spirits who might otherwise play tricks on the inhabitants, such as tipping over milk containers.
Today’s trick-or-treating dates to the Middle Ages, when poor people collected baked goods called “soul cakes” from the wealthy. The poor promised to pray for the giver’s deceased loved ones in exchange for cakes.
The ancient Celts believed that the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead was at its thinnest during Samhain, making it the ideal time to communicate with the deceased and divine the future.
After the Roman Empire took over Celt-occupied lands in the 1st century A.D., the Romans combined many of the Celtic traditions, including Samhain, with their own. This day evolved into All Hallows’ Day or Allhallowmas, “hallow” meaning “to sanctify.”
Years later, the Roman Catholic Church designated November 1 as All Saints’ Day in honor of all Catholic saints. It was celebrated with a mass, bonfires, and people costumed as angels and saints parading through the villages. November 2 brings All Souls’ Day, a holy day set aside for honoring the dead and departed.
Originally Posted : https://www.almanac.com/origins-halloween-traditions
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