The traditions of Halloween originate from a blend of Samhain, the Celtic celebration marking the end of the summer harvest, and Christian traditions honoring saints and martyrs. Today, one of our most popular Halloween customs is pumpkin carving. This too has been around for many centuries, except that in Ireland, they used turnips and rutabagas. This old Irish tale explains the origin of the jack-o’-lantern and how the scary gourds got their name. It all goes back to one horrible man people called Stingy Jack, and this is his story.
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