Story of Stingy Jack
Long ago in Ireland, there lived a man called stingy Jack who was known for his tricky ways.
He was a drinker and a gambler, and he often played tricks on his family, friends, and anyone around.
One day, Jack met a very special visitor: the devil!
Being the sly man he was, invited the devil to have a drink with him.
However, Jack didn’t want to pay for their drinks.
Jack challenged the devil to turn into a shiny coin so they can pay for their drinks.
Devil boastfully said- of course I can.
But as devil turned into a coin, jack kept the coin in his pocket. Then Jack put a silver cross next to the coin so that the devil could not change back.
Devil begged to Jack to let him be free and he won’t bother Jack again.
Jack thought cleverly and told the devil- I will release you on one condition. You will never take my soul when I die.
The devil, was not happy about it, but he agreed.
Well, time went by, and Jack eventually passed away.
But when he reached the gates of Heaven, he was not allowed to go in because his sinful deeds in his lifetime
And when he tried to go to Hell, the devil reminded him of their promise and wouldn’t let him in.
So, Jack was left to wander in the darkness with only a burning coal from Hell to light his way.
Jack put the coal into a carved-out turnip to create a makeshift lantern to guide him through the night.
Since then, jack and his lantern has become a legend.
People started carving their own lanterns out of turnips and vegetables to ward off the evil spirits.
Now people use pumpkins to make the classic Jack-o’-Lantern.
Jack-o’-Lanterns are now a symbol of Halloween, and people around the world carve pumpkins with spooky faces to celebrate the holiday and keep away the spooky spirits on Halloween night.