The Origin of Jack Langdon

Legend has it that a man named Jack was so stingy that he couldn't go to heaven after his death, and he couldn't go to hell because he made fun of the devil, so he had to wander around with lanterns until the judgment day. Therefore, Jack and Jack-o-lantern became the symbols of cursed wandering souls.

In order to scare away these wandering souls on Halloween, people carve terrible faces out of turnips, beets or potatoes to represent Jack holding lanterns. This is the origin of the ghost fire.

After the Irish moved to the United States, they began to carve pumpkins, because pumpkins are more abundant than turnips in autumn in the United States. If people hang jack-o-lanterns on the windows on Halloween night, it means that those who wear Halloween costumes can knock on the door and ask for candy.

Extended data

Instruments for carving pumpkins range from simple knives to professional instruments. They are usually carved in the shape of human faces and sometimes used as works of art. In the past, they were all lit by candles. Now, some people use light bulbs and even put radiators in pumpkins to prevent them from overheating and burning out. In North America and Britain, jack-o-lanterns are essential decorations for Halloween.

The lanterns carved from pumpkins are usually carved from beets or pumpkins with holes in them. The pattern of the hole is usually like a monster's face, and a lighted candle will be placed in it at Halloween.

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