Please come out and join us for our 1st Halloween Party/ Yappy Hour on October 30, 2014 from 6pm to 8pm…

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Norton Fitness
Houston, TX 77008
(832) 779-1902
www.nortonfitness.com

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/timtak

Carving pumpkins is a beloved tradition in most households, but this history of the jack-o’-lantern dates back much farther than just your own family’s Halloween festivities. Here are a few interesting points about the history of the spooky, silly jack-o’-lantern.

• The name “jack-o’-lantern” is derived from a 17th century British term that described a man carrying a lantern, usually a night watchman. Townspeople began to call the mysterious lights that they often saw over the wetlands "jack-o’-lanterns" because they thought that they were ghosts or spirits.
• Irish tradition also uses the term jack-o’-lantern in a story about Stingy Jack, a man who was forced to wander the earth for all eternity with only the light from a dull ember.
• In some parts of Great Britain, it became customary for children to carry jack-o’-lanterns door-to-door on All Saints Day to represent the souls of deceased relatives.
• Irish immigrants brought the tradition of the jack-o’-lantern with them to the United States, and they soon began to use the more readily available pumpkin instead of the turnip.
• Pumpkin carving and the jack-o’-lantern didn’t become a part of Halloween tradition until the late 19th century, almost 200 years after it was initially invented.

History of the Jack-O’-Lantern [History Channel]
What’s the Origin of Jack-O’-Lanterns? [Mental Floss]
Why Do We Carve Pumpkins on Halloween? [About News]

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/William Warby