![]() ![]() Jack is essentially a curmudgeon who uses his wishes to supernaturally glue down anyone who comes between him and his favorite chair, tries to borrow his tools, or breaks a stick off his beloved tree. The same goes for those trying to steal a branch from his prized sycamore tree or take anything from a junk box full of various tools. Awarded three wishes for his kindness, Jack asked that anyone who sat in his favorite chair is stuck in place until he allowed them to leave. In the morning, the withered elder transformed into a magnificent angel. One night, he rescued a decrepit old man dying of exposure on the moor. It seems there used to be a fellow named Jack. Although the writer offers a scientific explanation for the sight, the superstitious uncle relates the folklore behind fool’s fire. While walking home from an Irish wake, a writer and his uncle observed ignis fatuus, more commonly known as will-o’-the-wisps but referred to then as Jack-o’-the-lantern. In roughly 1835, The Dublin Penny Journal released an article detailing the legend of Jack-o’-the-lantern. They also utilized hollowed-out turnips as lanterns, a lit candle within dispelling the darkness as well as scaring away spooks. As such, Celts kept treats on hand to bribe the more malicious manifestations. Some in search of mischief torment the mortals they find. Supernatural entities slip through the thinning divide between worlds. Red tinted sunsets cast narrowing alleys of illumination as daylight dies. According to folk tradition, “it was also a period of supernatural intensity when the forces of darkness and decay were said to be abroad, spilling out from…the ancient mounds or barrows of the countryside.” Jack-o’-lantern carved in a turnip inspired by Seán Na Gealaí. Populating most of Europe, England, Scotland, and Ireland, the Celts believed the year divided into seasons of light and darkness, with Samhain ushering in the latter. This amounted to a Celtic variation on New Year’s Eve. The Coligny Calendar, a bronze plaque from that time, marks the annual celebration of Samhain (pronounced sow-in). Halloween grew out of a Celtic tradition dating back to at least the first century B.C.E. Although what terrified in days past may not petrify the way it once did, perhaps that history can still add some spice. It’s the face of Halloween, and consequently, people are so accustomed to its ubiquitous presence, they forget the underlying horror in this symbol. Oddly able to adapt to every facet of the holiday, it stands capable of being kid-friendly, horrifying, and if need be, sexy. No matter how All Hallows’ Eve has evolved over the decades, the jack-o’-lantern remains roughly the same. Although all manner of gruesome ghouls scream spooky season, the carved pumpkin is king. They are little rodents with superpowers that have all the time in the world.Nothing heralds Halloween quite like the jack-o’-lantern. “It’s foolish to think you can prevent a squirrel from doing anything. “I’ll tell you what I tell my husband,” she said. In other words, I will heed something a friend of mine said. Moving forward, though, I think I’ll just get a plastic or ceramic jack-o'-lantern that I can put on the picnic table in early October and leave there without worry through the 31st. Maybe this time I will rub the pumpkin on my cats and dog first to see if their scents will keep the squirrels at bay. Gotta have one out there for the trick-or-treaters on Sunday night. I’ll make one more jack-o'-lantern for Halloween this weekend. Sometimes they try to get in close anyway, only to dart away in that neurotic way of theirs once I spot them or, worse, my dog barks and charges as full speed ahead as her leash will allow. I am, after all, the guy who sits in his yard, eating up their precious daylight for acorn-gathering as I read, solve crossword puzzles, and chat with neighbors who stop by. I suppose this is as personal to them as it is to me. The little jerks had turned the front of the jack-o'-lantern toward my house and away from the street. On Monday afternoon, I looked out my kitchen window and saw Jack’s face head-on. Not only have I seen squirrels sitting next to the plate with a seed in their grubby little claws, I’ve spotted the back ends of them sticking out of the hole that used to be Jack’s face. I put all the goop and seeds from the pumpkin onto a plate and left it next to the oak tree. Obviously, this is personal.Īnd you know what bothers me the most? I made a gesture of good will to these critters. A couple of friends also suggested hot sauce, but then I likely would have been tempted to eat the jack-o'-lantern myself.įor the past few days, I have been looking at the pumpkins at people’s homes and noticing the squirrels have been leaving them alone. Google also had recommended smearing the pumpkin with petroleum jelly, but I did not have any. ![]()
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