Did YOU Know that the Halloween Pumpkin Used to be the Halloween Turnip? Really!!

Hundreds of years ago in Ireland there was a terrible man, a blacksmith, who led a life of crime, stealing, cheating people, and just being plain onery and mean. He was gifted with a "silver tongue", as in "silver-tongued devil", and could talk people out of their life's savings.  When the real Devil heard about him, he decided he'd better come up from Hell and check him out.  He didn't want any competition!

One night, the blacksmith, whose name was Stingy Jack, was walking home after spending an evening in one of his favorite taverns and he saw a man in the road grinning at him.  He realized it was the Devil and thought his evil life had finally caught up with him.  But, he was a clever con artist!

Stingy Jack approached the Devil and told him he was ready to go to Hell, but asked the Devil if the two of them could go back to the tavern and have some drinks before descending into the bowels of the earth.  The Devil thought about it for a minute and decided it was a safe enough request, so he said OK.

They returned to the tavern and drank ale all night long.  Just before dawn, Stingy Jack turned to go, but the Devil stopped him and said that since Jack had invited the Devil to the tavern, it was Jack's responsibility to pay for their drinks.  Stingy Jack protested that he didn't have any money, so the Devil would have to pay.  The Devil refused.

After thinking about it for a minute, Jack came up with a scheme.  He told the Devil to turn himself into a silver coin and he, Jack, would use the coin to pay the tavern keeper, and get change!  Then, when the tavern keeper wasn't paying attention, the Devil could change himself back into well, himself, and the two of them could leave the tavern, pocketing the change from the silver coin!

The Devil thought this was an idea worthy of him, so he said OK and proceeded to turn himself into a silver coin.  But, alas, instead of paying the tavern keeper, Stingy Jack put the silver coin into his grungy pocket, under his crucifix, trapping the Devil.  The Devil tried to change himself back into the Devil, but couldn't as long as he was weighed down by the crucifix.

Finally, so he could be released from Jack's bondage, the Devil agreed to trade his freedom in exchange for leaving Jack alone for ten years.

At the end of the ten years, again walking home on a dreary night, again in a drunken state, Jack stumbled upon the Devil waiting for him in the road.  "Ooops!", Jack thought.  "This time I'm done for."  He asked the Devil to do him just one small favor.  Jack told the Devil that he was hungry and, as they were standing under a magnificent apple tree, he asked the Devil if he wouldn't mind climbing up to the top of the tree and getting him an apple to munch before they descended to Hell.  Jack said he would do it himself, but he was very old and feeble and couldn't make the climb.  The Devil thought this was an OK request, so he climbed the tree.

When the Devil tried to climb down from the tree with the apple, he discovered that Jack had carved a cross into the trunk of the tree and he couldn't get down.  He was stuck in the tree.  Foiled again!

This time Jack agreed to set the Devil free if he agreed to leave Jack alone for ten more years and if he promised that he would never take Jack's soul to Hell.  What could the Devil do?  He agreed, and was set free.

Jack died seven years later with a smirk on his face because he thought that he was going to Heaven for sure.

However, Saint Peter had other ideas.  When Jack arrived at the Pearly Gates, he told Jack in no uncertain terms that he would never be allowed into Heaven because he was such a terrible person and had led a life of crime, cheating, stealing, and drunkeness.  So Saint Peter sent Jack back to earth.

Jack then went to the Gates of Hell and told the Devil he guessed the Devil had won after all and he would have to let him into Hell.

The Devil grinned again and reminded Jack that he, the Devil, had made a solemn promise that he would never take Jack's soul to Hell.  Jack was cursed to wander the earth forever in the darkness.

Jack pleaded, but to no avail.  As he turned to leave, the Devil tossed Jack an ember from Hell to give him a little light to lighten his way in the dark world.

In his pocket, Stingy Jack had one of his favorite stolen vegetables, a turnip.  He cut off the top and carved out the interior and put the ember inside to make a lantern to light his way.

The people around where Stingy Jack roamed would see his strange light from time to time and were afraid to meet him on the dark roads.  They called him, in fear, Jack of the Lantern, later shortened to Jack O'Lantern.  They started hollowing out turnips, gourds, and rutabagas, among other things, with scary faces.  They would put these on their porches and in their windows on the night of All Hollow's Eve (Halloween) because on Halloween, creepy spirits, such as Stingy Jack, were most free to harm the living.  These "lanterns" were meant to scare Jack away.

When the Irish began to immigrate to America in the 1800's, they brought this tradition with them, but quickly discovered that the larger pumpkins were much easier to carve then turnips or rutabagas.

Its almost halloween, so if you want to return to the original tradition, be sure when you go to your local Farmer's Market this Fall to ask the farmer if the Halloween Turnips have arrived yet.

Happy Halloween!!