What is the Big Deal About Celebrating Halloween: Pumpkin Carving (part 3)

Pumpkin Carving. So what is the big deal about it? Well, let's start off with a legend.

The Legend of "Stingy Jack and His Jack O Lantern

It seems it is derived from an Irish Legend in which Stingy Jack, a drunk met up with the devil one night. He had invited Satan to share a drink with him. However, Jack did not want to pay for his drink and so he convinced Satan to change himself into a coin so that he could pay for their drinks. Which Satan did. Jack then put the coin into his pocket with a silver cross which prevents the devil from changing back to his original form. Eventually, he did release Satan on the condition that he not bother Jack for a year and if Jack should die, he would not claim his soul. The next year he tricked the devil again. by getting him to climb up into a tree to pick a piece of fruit. And while the devil was in the tree, Jack carved a cross into the bark so that he could not come down again until he promised not to bother Jack for another ten years. Jack finally died due to his drinking and went to heaven where God would not allow him to enter because of his said lifestyle. And true to his promise, Satan did not send Jack to hell. Instead, he gave him a coal and lit it sending him into eternity to scare children. 

(Please note there are other versions of this legend.) Sources: History of the Jack O’ Lantern -  HISTORY and  Stingy Jack - Wikipedia

(My own thoughts on this legend: It is not lost on me, the fact that a cross, a tree, a piece of fruit and a light are symbols injected into it. What about you. Do you see it's a correlation in using those objects as well?)

It is stated that this legend came from both England and Ireland and the people started creating their own "jack o lanterns." However. unlike America, there were no pumpkins grown in those countries and the turnips and potatoes or even large beets were used as the original items used to make the lanterns which they carved scary faces in and then sat them in their windows.

Eventually, immigrants found their way to America and it is no surprise that these lantren lanterns became popular due to the hysteria that was created because of the witchcraft that plagued the New England Colonies. Their purpose was to scare away any evil spirit that may come around. 

 And of course, they became a tradition in using them today in modern society as a fun and decorative way of celebrating Halloween.

And of course, pumpkins themselves have also brought about many wonderful recipes in which we use them today. 

But as Christians, should we use them in for the purpose of making them into Jack O Lanterns under the tradition of that long ago legend. Or are we being too nit-picky?

What is the big deal anyway?

Back in those days where celebrating or not celebrating Halloween was very much at the forefront of raising our kids, we had a friend that was a Christian. And she decided that carving pumpkins in the traditional Jack O Lantern was not for her. But how could she still make them a part of her fall decorations that she felt would glorify Jesus. And so she took ten pumpkins and carved a word into each one adding a lit candle at night. Then she arranged them in a row on her front porch. As people passed by her home, this is the message that they read:

Jesus Saves

What a wonderful way to proclaim the gospel and still use pumpkins as a decoration for fall! It solved both problems for her. 

Dealing with these subjects on Halloween and what really is the big deal, I would love to have some of your comments and beliefs about it. Do you think it is ok for your family, or that it is not something you think people should celebrate? If you do comment, please be respectful of anyone that does comment. We are not always on the same page or at the same level of spiritual growth and this forum is just a way of sharing what we believe and not attacking others. And I would appreciate that and thank you in advance. 

Thanks for coming today Friends. Tomorrow's question for What is the big deal...will be: What about the occult? Is it viewed as a part of Halloween?

May each of you have a wonderfully blessed day!