Happy Halloween! These Philomath first graders look ready
for the holiday with their carved pumpkins.
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| Philomath, Oregon, 1972 first graders with jack-o-lanterns |
I was surprised to learn this tradition came to the United
States from Ireland. There, people
carved turnips or other vegetables and placed embers in them to ward off evil
spirits.
The name “Jack-o-lantern” comes from an Irish folk tale about a man called Stingy Jack who cheated the devil as well as townspeople. After he died, he was refused entry into both heaven and hell. The devil sent Jack off with a burning coal which Jack put into a carved turnip.
Irish immigrants to the U. S. continued this tradition but found pumpkins to be larger and easier to carve than turnips.
In 2013 Keene, New Hampshire set a record with a display of 30,581 lit Jack-o-lanterns. The largest ever Jack-o-lantern, carved in 2018, weighed 2,077 pounds.
So, get carving!
The name “Jack-o-lantern” comes from an Irish folk tale about a man called Stingy Jack who cheated the devil as well as townspeople. After he died, he was refused entry into both heaven and hell. The devil sent Jack off with a burning coal which Jack put into a carved turnip.
Irish immigrants to the U. S. continued this tradition but found pumpkins to be larger and easier to carve than turnips.
In 2013 Keene, New Hampshire set a record with a display of 30,581 lit Jack-o-lanterns. The largest ever Jack-o-lantern, carved in 2018, weighed 2,077 pounds.
So, get carving!
By
Martha Fraundorf, Volunteer for Benton County Historical Society, Philomath,
Oregon
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| Halloween postcard |
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