Stingy Jack? Who is he? Let’s begin with pumpkins. Pumpkins are now synonymous with Halloween, and you only have to scroll through any social media feed to see a plethora of Pumpkins during October with ghoulish expressions!
As we get closer to October 31 itself, you’ll see a lot of gardens filled with Halloween decorations. A pumpkin lantern lighting the way for trick or treaters is a familiar sight.
You may think the Halloween tradition is an American tradition, and whilst they certainly go all out for the festival, its origins go further back!
Yet the tradition of pumpkins at Halloween specifically started in Ireland, where people used to use other types of veg to carve with, including turnips, and potatoes! Stingy Jack was an Irish mythical story about Jack, who died but wasn’t allowed into heaven or hell, so he roamed the world forever! The turnip and potato carving that people did in Ireland, was originally to create ghoulish faces to scare away Jack’s soul! When Irish people moved to America, they began to use pumpkins instead of the other veg, as they were more easily available!
Then in the 8th Century, the Catholic Church moved their All Saints Day to November 1st, creating All Hallows’ Eve the day before. This was fast combined with wearing disguises to protect you from the souls coming to visit your home on Halloween! The Stingy Jack tradition was soon incorporated too, bringing us to where we are today, with Halloween costumes and pumpkin carving!
Prepare your Halloween lantern by carving a simple demon face into your pumpkin. Position your pumpkin by the front door, and light up for trick or treaters. If you’re trying to avoid them- make a display in the back garden for your own enjoyment
Happy Halloween everyone, from all at ColourFence and ColourRail!
Moira & Jo