Halloween es una de las conmemoraciones más terroríficas y antiguas de la historia y se apodera cada vez más del mundo mortal, es un día en el que cae el velo del inframundo para mostrarnos todos sus horrores.
En esta fecha se practican diferentes costumbres, y una de ellas es colocar calabazas talladas con una vela o alguna fuente de luz en su interior para simular una linterna.
These pumpkins are known as Jack O´ Lantern. But, have you ever wondered:
— Why is this done with pumpkins every Halloween?—
There is a famous Irish legend to explain this ancient practice, and today I will tell you about it, pay close attention:
This is one of those scary ghost stories
It all started many years ago in a small town, with very few inhabitants, it was Halloween time, Halloween, the typical autumn wind blew strong through the streets and houses.
In this place, there was a man known as " Stingy Jack ", his reputation in the town was the worst, they had him in a lower concept than a thief, miser, drunk and the people of the place were not wrong, really! Jack was like that!
As the years passed, his growing evil caught the attention of Lucifer himself.
His many sins needed punishment, and it was time for the Devil himself to take action.
On the afternoon of that October 31, Jack was in the tavern, where he always went to have a few drinks, a cheerful and warm place, where most of the thugs would hang out in the company of the pretty waiters, who served the dishes. Drinks and good music.
That day, it was the perfect time for the Demon to make his appearance.
Jack, he kept drinking one jar after another, suddenly, a rather mysterious person covered with a black robe sat next to him, without making eye contact he said:
—Jack, it is time for you to pay for your sins, today you will come with me to the heart from burning hell.—
Jack was speechless, somehow he knew that the time would come when he had to pay for his wrongdoing, —but he never imagined it would be so soon — he was not prepared.
Luckily for him, he was not only a greedy and drunken thief, he was also cunning, very cunning and intelligent.
Still staring at his mug full of cold beer, he proposed a deal to the human-like Devil.
Jack would agree to give him his soul in exchange for Satan letting him have one last drink and paying for all the drinks.
The Devil saw it as one last pathetic request before he burned in hell, so he agreed.
That infernal entity, had the ability to change shape, and became a coin so that Jack could pay the tavern keeper.
—However, it was all a trap!—
That cunning man kept the coin in his pocket where there was a silver cross, in this way the demon could not return to its original form.
Jack, offered a new deal to the Devil in which he would now have the upper hand, told the fallen angel that he would take him away from that silver cross, only if he promised not to look for him until 10 years had passed, so the Devil did not have no choice but to accept.
Therefore, Jack took the coin out of his pocket and tossed it a long way from the tavern.
Lucifer recovered his original form, he was furious at having been deceived by a simple mortal, so casting curses, he went into the darkness of the night where he disappeared to return to hell.
Years passed, and just as they had agreed, Satan returned. Jack was wandering in a forest, looking perhaps for some abandoned treasure that contained valuable gold coins, while he was walking he heard a noise behind him, when he turned, his stomach felt a shocking emptiness, an indescribable-looking humanoid monster appeared before him.
He remembered then that 10 years had passed, since he decided to make the deal with the Demon, the time had come to pay his debt, but he would not allow it.
Jack thought that he still had a lot to live, many experiences to enjoy, and he quickly thought of a plan. Feigning sadness, Jack asked him as a last wish to lower an apple from the tree that was near them, the Devil thought he did not have nothing to lose, so eager to take his soul, he climbed the tree and took the red fruit to give it to him, but he soon realized, that he had been deceived again.
Jack, at the time the Demon climbed the tree he carved a cross in the bark of the tree. Thanks to this, the Devil could not go down, so he forced him to accept a new deal.
He would remove the bark where he carved the cross, only if he promised that he would never ask for his soul again, Satan resigned himself and accepted the deal, the cunning man removed the bark from the tree and left there calm, knowing that they would never look for his soul.
However, by chance of fate and by his life full of danger, he died a few years after that event.
It is said that, due to his detestable behavior, he could not enter heaven, so ironically his only option was hell, upon reaching this place Satan immediately recognized him and rejected him, because he had to fulfill his promise to never take his soul. .
Jack was lost, the Demon returned him the way he came, however, having nowhere to go, and he was left wandering in a cold eternal darkness.
The Devil threw a burning coal at him from hell itself and Jack picked it up.
He placed it inside a turnip that he brought with him and that he had emptied all this so that it would not be blown out by the wind.
Since then, Jack has wandered aimlessly through the darkness with his flashlight.
When the Irish came to America, they found that pumpkins are more plentiful than turnips and easier to empty, so they eventually end up substituting squash for turnips.
It is currently said that the reason for placing Jack O'Lantern in the houses, that is, the pumpkins with a light inside them, is to ward off evil spirits from the houses.
However, now that you know the legend, it does not seem more logical to think that:
—Actually, that practice is to guide the spirits to your home!—
This is a free adaptation of the Original Legend of Jack O´Lanter made by @susurrodelmisterio for read.cash
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© Copyright 2020 Susurro del Misterio
Originally Included in the Book
"SCARY STORIES TO TELL ON SLEEPOVER NIGHTS AND CAMPING TRIPS "
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