Every October, we see faces carved into pumpkins - but who exactly was this "Jack"? It all began with an old Irish legend about a cunning blacksmith named Stingy Jack.

Jack was so sly that he managed to trick the Devil himself twice, extracting a promise that the Devil would never take his soul to Hell.

When Jack died, he was denied entry into Heaven because of his sins, and the path to Hell was closed to him due to their agreement, too. Left in total darkness, Jack begged the Devil for at least one smoldering ember. To keep the flame from blowing out in the wind, the sinner placed it inside a hollowed-out turnip he happened to be carrying. Ever since, his restless soul has wandered the earth, lighting his way with this makeshift lantern.

As for how the turnip eventually turned into a pumpkin - we’ve already covered that in our previous posts🎃

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