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jack o'lantern

Jack-o’-Lanterns, Pumpkins, Trick-or-Treating, and Candy – Why Do They Go Together?

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Jack-O'-Lantern

A Spooky Jack-o’-Lantern Tale

Have you ever wondered where the Jack-O’-Lantern comes from?

According to an Irish legend that goes back hundreds of years, a miserable old drunk named Stingy Jack — who liked to play tricks on his family, friends, and even the Devil — tricked the Devil into climbing up an apple tree.   Stingy Jack put crosses around the apple tree’s trunk so the Devil couldn’t get down and told the Devil that if he wouldn’t take his soul when he died, Stingy Jack would remove the crosses and let the Devil down.

When Jack died, Saint Peter, at the pearly gates of Heaven, told him that he couldn’t enter Heaven because he was mean, cruel, and had led a miserable and worthless life. Stingy Jack then went down to Hell but the Devil wouldn’t take him in. Ultimate payback! With nowhere to go Jack had to wander around in the darkness between Heaven and Hell.

Stingy Jack, Jack-O’-Lanterns, And Halloween

Halloween, celebrated on October 31, originated with the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, when people would light bonfires and wear costumes to ward off ghosts. In Pope Gregory III, in the eighth century, designated November 1 as a day to honor all saints and soon All Saints Day incorporated some of the traditions of Samhain, with the evening before known as All Hallows Eve, later called Halloween. Halloween eventually evolved into a day filled with activities like trick-or-treating and carving jack-o-lanterns.

On All Hallows’ Eve the Irish made Jack-o’-lanterns by hollowing out turnips, rutabagas, gourds, potatoes, and beets and then putting lights in them to keep away both the evil spirits and Stingy Jack.  In the 1800′s when Irish immigrants came to America, they discovered that pumpkins were bigger and easier to carve and the pumpkin became the Jack-O’-Lantern.

Trick Or Treating

Trick or treating is a relatively recent American activity. Costumes, doorbell-ringing, and the expectation of hand-outs started in different locations throughout the country in the late 1930s and early 1940s. When costumed kids rang doorbells in the late 40’s and early 50’s, they were likely to get coins, nuts, fruit, cookies, cakes, and toys as well as candy. It took a while for candy to become synonymous with Halloween – no doubt, with the full backing of candy producers.

Some Humorous (Maybe Scary) Info: If You Eat The Candy That Fills Those Jack-O’-Lanterns, How Far Do You Have To Walk To Work It Off?

Here’s another way to think about Halloween candy — how much walking will it take to work off the candy calories?

According to walking.com:

  • 1 Fun Size candy bar (Snickers, Milky Way, Butterfingers, etc. is about 80 calories. You’d need to walk 0.8 miles, 1.29 kilometers, or 1600 steps, assuming you cover one mile in 2,000 steps.
  • 2 Hershey’s Kisses are about 50 calories. You’d need to walk 0.5 miles, 0.80 kilometers, or 1000 steps, assuming you cover one mile in 2,000 steps.
  • 2 Brachs caramels are about 80 calories. You’d need to walk 0.8 miles, 1.29 kilometers, or 1600 steps, assuming you cover one mile in 2,000 steps.
  • 1 mini bite-size candy bar (Snickers, Milky Way, Butterfingers, etc.) is about 55 calories. You’d need to walk 0.55 miles, 0.88 kilometers, or 1100 steps, assuming you cover one mile in 2,000 steps.
  • 1 Fun Size M&M packet – Plain or Peanut, is 90 calories. You’d need to walk 0.9 miles, 1.45 kilometers, or 1800 steps, assuming you cover one mile in 2,000 steps.
  • 1 mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup is 33 calories. You’d need to walk 0.33 miles, 0.53 kilometers, or 660 steps, assuming you cover one mile in 2,000 steps.
  • 1 full size chocolate candy bar (Snickers, Hershey, etc.) is about 275 calories. You’d need to walk 2.75 miles, 4.43 kilometers, or 5500 steps, assuming you cover one mile in 2,000 steps.
  • 1 King Size chocolate candy bar (Snickers, Hershey, etc.) is about 500 calories. You’d need to walk 5 miles, 8.06 kilometers, or 10000 steps, assuming you cover one mile in 2,000 steps.
  • 1 small Tootsie Roll is 25 calories. You’d need to walk 0.25 miles, 0.40 kilometers, or 500 steps, assuming you cover one mile in 2,000 steps.

If You Ate . . .

2 Brachs caramels, 2 Hershey’s Kisses, 1 small Tootsie Roll, 1 Fun Size candy bar (Snickers, Milky Way, Butterfingers, etc.) 1 mini bite-size candy bar (Snickers, Milky Way, Butterfingers, etc.), 1 Fun Size M&M packet – Plain or Peanut, 1 mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup, 1 full size chocolate candy bar (Snickers, Hershey, etc.), 1 King Size chocolate candy bar (Snickers, Hershey, etc.)… the grand total is 1188 calories. You’d need to walk 11.88 miles, 19.16 kilometers, or 23,760 steps, assuming you cover one mile in 2,000 steps.

Happy Halloween!

 

The Original Jack O’Lantern Wasn’t A Pumpkin

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And It Comes With A Great Story

Have you carved and cut your pumpkin and created your own original jack O’Lantern?  Some carved pumpkins, as you can see in these photos taken at Chelsea Market in New York City, are works of art. Abingdon Square Park in Greenwich Village hosts a Halloween Jack O’Lantern contest and the little pocket park is filled with glowing pumpkins with faces of all kinds and a variety of senses of humors.

But … What Was The Original Jack O’Lantern?

The Jack O’Lantern stems from a legend that goes back hundreds of years in Irish history. One version of the story is that a miserable old drunk named Stingy Jack, who liked to play tricks on his family, friends, and even the Devil, tricked the Devil into climbing up an apple tree and then put crosses around its trunk so the Devil couldn’t get down. Stingy Jack then told the Devil that if he promised not to take his soul when he died he would remove the crosses and let the Devil down.

When Jack died he was told by Saint Peter at the pearly gates of Heaven that he was mean and cruel and had led a miserable and worthless life so he couldn’t enter Heaven. He went down to Hell but the Devil kept his promise and wouldn’t take him in.  Jack was scared and with nowhere to go had to wander around in the darkness between Heaven and Hell. He asked the Devil how he could leave without light to see.  To help him light his way the Devil threw him an ember from the flames of Hell. One of Jack’s favorite foods, which he always had when he could steal one, was a turnip.  He put the ember into a hollowed out turnip and from that day on Stingy Jack, without a resting place, roamed the earth lighting his way with his “Jack O’Lantern.”

All Hallows Eve

Halloween, or the Hallow E’en as it is called in Ireland and Scotland, is short for All Hallows Eve, or the night before All Hallows. “Hallow” is a word of Germanic origin that means “holy” in Old English, All Hallows is now called All Saints in modern English, “saint” being a synonym for “hallow” with Old French and ultimately Latin roots.

Samhain was the last day of the Celtic calendar and was a Pagan harvest festival that honored the dead celebrated on October 31st. All Hallows and Samhain became fatefully intertwined in the 9th century when Pope Gregory IV officially assigned the solemnity of All Hallows (previously celebrated in April by Celtic Christians and May by Italian Christians) to November 1st on the universal church calendar to match the custom of the Frankish King of Aquitaine, Louis the Pious, who had been crowned Holy Roman Emperor.

On All Hallows Eve the Irish made Jack O’Lanterns by hollowing out turnips, rutabagas, gourds, potatoes, and beets and putting lights in them to keep away both the evil spirits and Stingy Jack.  In the 1800’s when Irish immigrants came to America they discovered that pumpkins were bigger and easier to carve, and pumpkins became our Jack O’Lanterns.

Think About Eating Your Pumpkin, Too

Jumping from legend to fact:  pumpkins are Cucurbitaceae, a family of vegetables that includes cucumbers and melons. They are fat free and can be baked, steamed, or canned.

One cup has about 30 calories and is high in vitamin C, potassium, and dietary fiber and has other nutrients like folate, manganese, and omega 3′s.  Pumpkin is filled with the anti-oxidant beta-carotene which gives it a rich orange hue. It is very versatile and can be added to baked goods and blended with many foods. Pumpkin seeds are delicious, too.  They are a good source of iron, copper, and zinc and a quarter cup naturally adds minerals to your healthy diet.  One cautionary note:  pumpkin is low in calories, pumpkin seeds are not.