As we all know, Halloween is quickly approaching, but not only trick-or-treaters are beginning to get into the holiday spirit. This year on October 8^th, many astronomers were stargazing in order to see “The Blood Moon” (due to a total eclipse of the full moon); however NASA was able to take a picture of a strange solar flare pattern. This pattern was in the form of a face that had the menacing characteristics of a Jack O’ Lantern. This led me to the question where the practice of creating Jack O’ lanterns came from. After a little research, I was able to find my answer.

The tale of the Jack O’ Lantern finds its origins in Ireland. The legend tells about a man named Stingy Jack who had some associations of…questionable nature. Jack was a swindler and loved to play tricks on the Devil, by exploiting his weakness to the power of God. This went on a few times and each time Jack “trapped” the devil and wouldn’t let him go unless he promised to not bother him for a certain amount of time (which gradually increased every time he tricked the Devil into a trap). When Jack finally died, God did not allow him into heaven because of the fact that he was an “unsavory figure” and the Devil did not want him in hell because he was afraid of being constantly tricked, so the Devil gave Jack a flaming piece of coal to light his path. Jack fashioned a lantern out of a turnip and placed the coal inside it so that he wouldn’t have to hold the coal as his spirit roamed the earth for all of eternity.

After people became aware of the legend, they began to carve their own turnips as well as potatoes and place them in their door ways and windows to ward off Stingy Jack. Eventually, when the Irish and Scottish settlers came over to North America and discovered the pumpkin, they favored it to a turnip or potato and they also incorporated a candle inside of it to represent the flaming piece of coal that Stingy Jack carried with him. Even though the Jack O’ Lantern sun did show up a little early for Halloween, it still fell in the month of October and truly adds to the hysteria of the holiday.