Over the last several years, Halloween has become even more elaborate and popular than Christmas in the United States. Americans love costumes, decorations–the more elaborate, the better–and parties galore! Today, the United Kingdom, United States, and Canada widely celebrate the holiday. It’s also growing in popularity in much of Europe, Asia, and South America, alongside their own holidays.

Halloween’s Origin

It all began in ancient England, with the Celtic festival Samhain (a Gaelic word pronounced “SOW-en” or “SAH-win”).  This festival celebrated summer’s end, the harvest, and the beginning of the new year, which, at the time, landed on November 1st. Ancient Celts believed that during Samhain, among other things, the wall between the living and the dead grew so thin that monsters and fairies walked the earth to steal souls, and the spirits of those who had died could return to visit their families. To protect themselves from the perceived threat, they dressed in disguises such as animals or monsters.

As Christianity spread, the Roman Catholic Church moved All Saints’ Day or All Soul’s Day, a day celebrating the church’s saints, to November 1 and named the day before, October 31, All Hallows’ Eve, later shortened to Hallowe’en. Some Samhain traditions, such as dressing in disguises, have remained, as well as other traditions we still celebrate today including Jack O’Lanterns.

Carved vegetables

Carving Jack O’Lanterns originated with ancient Celts. However, because pumpkins are native to North America, our British predecessors hollowed out and carved rutabagas, gourds, potatoes, beets, and even turnips! Ancient observers of All Hallow’s Eve put a candle or lit ember inside their creations to make the face glow. They placed these lit root vegetables by their doorways to scare away evil spirits. In addition to warding off evil spirits with Jack O’Lanterns, they also left doors and windows open to welcome in the spirits of their ancestors and even left out food for them. Apparently, only wicked, non-family ghosts were frightened away by glowing veggie faces. To the right are a few examples of the faces that artistic carvers can make from turnips.

Origin of the Name Jack O’Lantern

In a nutshell: historians aren’t sure how a lit, carved vegetable came to be known as a Jack O’Lantern. However, there seem to be two theories. 

From about the 17th century, the term Jack O’Lantern referred to a night watchman who carried a lantern and patrolled the streets to curtail crime. The British often called men whose names they didn’t know by a common name like Jack. So, a nightwatchman whose name was unknown carrying a lantern was referred to as Jack with the Lantern or Jack of the Lantern or Jack O’Lantern.

The name’s origin might also stem from a legend about Stingy Jack who played tricks on the devil. As a result, he was consigned to wander the earth as a spirit carrying a lit coal which he later put into a carved-out turnip to carry as a lantern. The story about Stingy Jack became a part of All Hallow’s Eve and is often referenced when spooky, unexplained lights are sighted which are sometimes referred to as Spook Lights.

Today’s Jack O’ Lanterns

Modern Jack O’ Lanterns are made out of a variety of natural and man-made materials which can be lit with candles, battery-operated lights, and electric bulbs, giving a spooky glow to set the proper mood. They vary from scary, to funny, to elegant to reflect the taste of the creator. So the next time you carve or decorate your pumpkin, give a thought to your ancestors who have passed on. Perhaps they’ll pay you a visit on Halloween night while you’re handing out candy to trick-or-treaters.

All Hallows Eve during Regency England, filled with ancient English customs, sets the scene for my newest short novel, A Ghost of a Chance.

A lost soul searching for hope...

After a devastating loss, a young lady throws herself into searching for her missing brother and taking solace in her musical composition. When a handsome and captivating stranger comes to town one All Hallows Eve, she dares to hope for more than her endlessly lonely existence.

A tormented war hero seeking redemption…

Unable to flee the memories of war, a retired cavalry captain spends his days helping the men who served under his command adjust to civilian life. Perhaps if he helps them all, he can atone for some of his past failures. When he stops for the night at a small English village celebrating All Hallows Eve, he meets an enchanting young lady unlike any other and suspects that what he needed all along was not only redemption but love.

They must find the courage to take a leap of faith and choose love over fear

It will take faith and valor to overcome the barriers between their worlds and let go of their past heartaches. As they discover love and happiness neither had imagined, they will have to delve into the shadow world between life and death to beg for another chance from the Angel of Death.

A Ghost of a Chance is available in ebook, Kindle Unlimited, and paperback.  

Sources:

https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/the-history-of-jack-o-lantern

https://www.history.com/news/history-of-the-jack-o-lantern-irish-origins

https://time.com/5419385/why-jack-o-lanterns-halloween/

https://www.britannica.com/story/why-do-we-carve-pumpkins-at-halloween

https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/countries-that-celebrate-halloween    

https://www.history.com/topics/holidays/samhain#samhain-merges-with-halloween