By Dan Shine
Voice Columnist
Halloween
There isn’t much to say about Halloween that is actually “history.” The Halloween season is mostly the realm of folklore and superstition; and of course the masters of tall tales and superstitions are the Irish.
There is one little-known Irish Halloween tale concerning a man who was simply known as “Stingy Jack.” Now, one evening, Stingy Jack (who didn’t get his name by accident) invited the Devil himself to come to the pub and have a drink with him. And when it came time to pay for the drink, Stingy Jack convinced the Devil to turn himself into a coin that Jack could use to pay for their drinks. Once the Devil did this, Jack took the coin and put it into his pocket next to a silver Cross, so that the Devil wouldn’t be able to change back into his original form.
After a while Jack freed the Devil, but only on the condition that he would not bother Jack for one year, and that should Jack die, the Devil would not claim his soul.
A year later, Jack and the Devil met again; this time, Jack tricked the Devil into climbing a tree to pick apples for them to share. While the Devil was up in the apple tree, Jack carved a Cross in the tree trunk, and once again the Devil was trapped. In order to be freed from the tree, the Devil reluctantly agreed not to bother Jack for ten more years.
Soon afterwards, Jack died. According to the legend, Jack was such an unsavory character that he was denied entrance into Heaven; furthermore, the Devil kept his word, and would not allow Jack into Hell either. But the Devil felt that Jack wasn’t so bad, and so he gave him a piece of glowing coal to help him find his way as he wandered through the darkness of the afterlife. Jack put the piece of coal into a hollowed-out turnip and carried it with him into eternity. And as the tale concludes, on All Hallows Eve you can still see Jack’s coal glowing, as he searches for a home.
Of course, the Irish eventually came to America in their boatloads, and the Tale of Stingy Jack came right along with them. Since America was the land of the pumpkin, Jack’s turnip became a lighted pumpkin, which was carved with a face that was twisted into a frightening grin; this device was named Jack O’Lantern.
And the rest, as they say, is history. Pumpkin pie, anyone?
Happy Halloween!