By Aidan Lim
The jack-o’-lantern is now an icon of Halloween, but how did it come to be?
The jack-o’-lantern originated in Ireland, to ward away the wandering spirit of Stingy Jack. The myth is about Stingy Jack, who tricked the Devil. When he died, he was neither allowed into Heaven nor Hell, and was forced to roam the earth forever. Irish people started carving faces into their pumpkins, to keep Stingy Jack away.
When Irish immigrants continued this tradition in the USA, the Americans obviously saw that this fit perfectly with Halloween, adopting this tradition into Halloween. Now, the jack-o’-lantern is a stapleof Halloween and has spread world-wide.