Pumpkin is the fruit of the plant species Cucurbita pepo or Cucurbita mixta of the the family Cucurbitaceae from the genus Cucurbita. As a teacher with history certification I am always curious about where traditions come from. According to the agricultural extension site at the University of Illinois-the jack-o-lantern for Halloween is a centuries old tradition. The practice originated from an Irish myth about a man nicknamed "Stingy Jack." With my hubby’s- and now my kid’s- Irish ancestry I am always intrigued by anything that is Irish or Irish American. The story goes, that a fellow named Stingy Jack invited the Devil to have a drink with him. True to his name, Stingy Jack didn't want to pay for his drink, so he convinced the Devil to turn himself into a coin that Jack could use to buy their drinks. Once the Devil did so, Jack decided to keep the money and put it into his pocket next to a silver cross, which prevented the Devil from changing back into his original form. Jack eventually freed the Devil, under the condition that he would not bother Jack for one year and that, should Jack die, he would not claim his soul. The next year, Jack played another trick on the Devil. He convinced him to climb a tree to pick a piece of fruit. While he was up in the tree, Jack carved a sign of the cross into the tree's bark so that the Devil could not come down until the Devil promised Jack not to bother him for ten more years. Soon after the second trick, Jack died. As the legend goes, God would not allow such an unsavory character that consorted with the Devil into heaven. The Devil, upset by the trick Jack had played on him and keeping his word not to claim his soul, would not allow Jack into hell. He sent Jack off into the dark night with only a burning coal to light his way. Jack put the coal into a carved out turnip- turnips being plentiful in Ireland- and thus Jack been roaming the Earth with it ever since. The Irish began to refer to this ghostly figure as "Jack of the Lantern," and then, simply "Jack O'Lantern." Historically In Ireland and Scotland, people began to make their own versions of Jack's lanterns by carving scary faces into turnips or potatoes- again because that is what was plentiful- and placed them into windows or near doors to frighten away Stingy Jack and other wandering evil spirits. In England, large beets are used. Immigrants from these countries brought the jack o'lantern tradition with them when they came to the United States. They soon found that pumpkins, a fruit native to America, make perfect jack o'lanterns. Come carve one with us to keep wandering Jack at bay.
First we have to draw the face.
That is a pretty scary face- and I think brachiosaurus thinks so as well.
Next we cut the top off and scoop the insides out.
Then we carve the face- again brachiosaurus gets involved.
Then we light it up. The push on battery operated lights are best if you want to turn the pumpkin into pie tomorrow which is what we usually do.
Do you think Jack will be frightened away? Maybe we should put on some costumes to make sure.
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