The Art Of The Jack-O-Lantern

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Growing up in Connecticut, one of the things I loved most about the fall, was Halloween, not just because I was born the next day so I got candy, then cake and presents, but because of the errie feeling New England gave around this time of year.  One of my favorite fall traditions was carving the Jack-O-Lantern.

My father, mother and brother would all go to the local farmer’s stand and pick out our favorite pumpkin.  Pumpkins grew wild up there so that wasn’t too hard to find.  We would bear the cold fall air that would nip at your nose, to get that right gourd for us to carve.  After our purchase, we would bring it home and carve them up using our “pumpkin cutters.”  After we made our masterpieces just right, we would sit them outside on our stoop, put fallen leaves around them, with some Indian Corn, light them up and stare at them for hours.  Those were the days… but then I wonder, where did this custom start?  Why do we do such a thing?  I mean it had to come from somewhere right.

History:

The origin of the Jack-O-Lantern started because of an Irish myth about a guy they call “Stingy Jack.”

Legend has it that Jack invited the Devil to have a drink with him one day, but like his name “Stingy” he had no intention of paying for the drinks.  Jack would try to weasle his way out of it, so he convinced the Devil to turn into a coin so he could pay for the drinks, then turn back and the drinks wold be free.  The Devil obliged being slick and nasty himself; but once he turned into a coin, Stingy Jack decided to keep the money.  He put the devil in his pocked next to a silver coin, so the devil could not return to his real form.  Jack eventually freed the Devil, under the condition that he would not bother Jack for one year and should he die, the Devil would not claim his soul.

However, the next year when the Devil was allowed to bother him, they met up again.  This time Jack asked the Devil to climb a tree and pick a piece of fruit.  The Devil obliged, and climbed the tree, immediately Jack carved a cross in the tree so the Devil could not get down till he promised not to bother Jack for 10 more years.

Finally Jack passed away, and met God for judgement.  God refused to let such an unsavory figure into Heaven, and banished him to Hell.  The Devil, upset at the trick Jack played on him, refused to let him into Hell.  As legend has it, the Devil gave him a burning lump of coal and set him on his way to walk aimlessly into the dark night.  Jack put the coal into a carved out turnip and roamed the earth ever since.

In Scotland and Ireland people made their own versions of Jack’s lantern, by carving scary faces into potatos and turnips to scare off Stingy Jack and other evil spirits, by placing them in the windows.  This tradition made its way to America where pumpkins were native, and we soon found Pumpkins make the perfect Jack-O-Lantern.

The Art

The art of Jack-O-Lantern carving has seriously evolved over the years.  What started out as simple triangle or circle eyes, with triangle nose and jagged pointy teeth in a mouth has started to evolve into some masterpieces like flying witches, and elaborate Victorian houses with ghosts eminating out the doors.

The skill is tough to master, it involves peeling the skin away and making deeper slices to make a lighter or darker impression.  You almost need to carve it like a stencil to give that amazing effect.  Since these are completely closed, and usually don’t have any carving through the pumpkin wall, they tend to last longer than the average Jack-O-Lantern.

Today you can go to any Walmart or K Mart and pick up some stencils that include some tools that will allow you to make some interesting pieces.  I find it more artistic and challenging to try to make the pumpkin from scratch.

Pumpkin CareAround Florida here I have found that once you cut the Jack-O-Lantern, they don’t last long.  The humidity causes it to rot fast.  So here are some tips to making your Jack-O-Lantern last longer.

1. Draw the face of your Jack-O-Lantern with marker, and leave it as long as you can till Halloween, if you buy your pumpkin way in advance.  This will keep it from rotting, but you can sport the face.  When it gets within 2 or 3 days before Halloween, you can carve the pumpkin.
2. If you plan on making a more elaborate pumpkin, I suggest not carving it until 2 days before.
3. When you gut the pumpkin, make sure there is no innerds left in there.  Those are very moist and slimy and cause for quick molding and rotting.  Clean it as good as you can, and wipe out any moisture.
4. When the pumpkin is not lit, keep a box of Baking Soda inside or Damp Rid to help eliminate mositure that causes rotting.
5. Dispose of your pumpkin promptly if it starts to mold, and right after Halloween.  Animals can eat it and become very sick, plus mold and rotting fruit/vegetables around you is not healthy either.  You will attract flies, maggots, and gnats.  If your pumpkin is completely rotten, throw it in a compost pile, or bag it with a trash bag and tie it off so the gasses don’t escape.