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| Stingy Jack at Lang Pioneer Village Museum's Historic All Hallows' Eve. Photo by Dawn Knudsen |
The answer seems to lie in an Irish folktale about a stingy blacksmith named Jack, who was known far and wide as a quick-tempered, unrepentant, too-clever reveler who was fond of the drink. Twice, as the story goes, he made a soul-surrendering pact with the devil and twice managed to trick him into releasing his claim on him, but it all came back on him when he died.
According to legend, as a sinner who’d had dealings with the devil, Jack could not be admitted to heaven, and he’d unwittingly surrendered his passport to Hades as well through his trickery with the devil. He was thus doomed to forever wander in limbo, a dark and dreary place you’d not wish on anyone. However, the devil, feeling an uncharacteristic moment of pity for poor Jack, tossed him a lump of burning coal from the inferno. This Jack placed in a hollowed out turnip so that at least he had a bit of light to guide his eternal wanderings.
As this legend grew in popularity, on All Hallows’ Eve, the Irish hollowed out turnips, rutabagas, gourds, potatoes and beets. They placed a light in them to ward off mischievous spirits and to keep “Stingy Jack” away. These were the original Jack-O-Lanterns.
In the 1800’s, a large number of Irish immigrants came to North America and were introduced to the pumpkins that had been cultivated here by the First Nations. The Irish quickly discovered how much bigger the pumpkins were and how much easier they were to carve out! Have you ever tried to carve a turnip? It’s not an easy task, so very quickly pumpkins became favoured for carving, lighting and placing on our porches.
Keep your eyes open on All Hallows’ Eve at Lang Pioneer Village Museum on Friday, October 28 & Saturday, October 29th, for the veil between the living and those that are, well… not living, is thinnest on these nights. You just might catch a glimpse of Stingy Jack wandering like a lost soul. You’ll recognize him. He’ll be the one clutching a turnip with a fiery lump of coal in it.
Laurie Siblock is the Assistant Manager at Lang Pioneer Village Museum. Her role in the Village, beginning in 2006, involves crafting special events and working with special projects like the Jacquard Loom Project and Aabnaabin Camp, a First Nations encampment circa 1825 developed in partnership with Curve Lake and Hiawatha First Nations. She is also a member of the Kawartha Truth and Reconciliation Support Group. When not at Lang Pioneer Village, she can be found with her nose in a book, often related to First Nation history and social justice, or working away in her fibre art studio.
