Actual Facts  

Story of the Jack O’Lantern

While the pumpkin is indigenous to North America, the practice of
pumpkin carving originated in Ireland with the story of Stingy Jack.
According to legend, Stingy Jack asked the Devil to drink with him. But
as his name implies, Stingy Jack didn't want to pay for his drink. So he
talked the Devil into morphing himself into the form of a coin so
they could buy drinks. But then Jack decided to keep the money! The coin
went into Jack’s pocket right next to a small cross. This tricky
placement prevented the Devil from changing back to a human form. Jack
eventually allowed the Devil to change back, but he had to first promise
not to bother Jack for one year. The Devil also had to agree not to take
Jack’s soul after death.

But the Devil did not learn his lesson when dealing with Stingy Jack.
The following year they met again. This time, Jack tricked the Devil
into climbing a tree for fruit. Using the cross to trick the Devil
again, Jack carved one into the tree's bark effectively trapping the
Devil. He was not allowed to come down until the Devil promised not to
bother Jack for another ten years.

Jack may have fooled the Devil on earth, but after he died God would
not allow such a naughty trickster into heaven. The Devil, equally as
irritated with Jack, kept his word and would not claim Jack’s soul and
allow him to enter hell either. Instead he sent Jack off into the night
with nothing but a burning coal to light his path. Jack put the coal
into
a hollowed-out turnip and has been roaming the earth since that fateful
night. The Irish began referring to Stingy Jack as Jack of the Lantern,
and then, simply Jack O’Lantern.

In Ireland and Scotland, people began creating their own lanterns by
carving scary faces into turnips or potatoes and placing them near doors
and windows to ward off Stingy Jack. Plus, it was good measure to deter
other evil wandering spirits who may have taken to the roads. In
England, large beets are often carved for this same
purpose. When immigrants brought the practice of making jack o lanterns
to the United States, they found pumpkins were easier to carve and made
a perfect vessel to continue their fall tradition.


 

About Halloween

ACTUAL FACTS

In honor of Halloween

                           

What exactly is a zombies?

A zombie is someone you would NOT want to meet in a dark alley.
Basically, the zombie is a corpse that has been exhumed by a
sorcerer and made to walk and do the sorcerer's bidding. Belief
in these "living dead," whose souls have been stolen, is found in
the Haitian "vodun" (voodoo) cult.

What should I do if I encounter a zombie?

Give him food with salt! Legend has it that if the zombie eats
such food, or if he is permitted to look on the sea, he'll
quietly return to his grave.

Is voodoo a form of witchcraft?

No. Voodoo is a religion found in Haiti that combines elements of
Christianity with African traditions. Voodoo practitioners
worship "Loa" (gods or spirits), to whom a person can turn to for
protection AGAINST black magic.

 

About Halloween:

All Saints' Day, or All Halloo's Eve, began as an ancient Celtic
and later a Roman harvest festival When the Irish immigrated to
the US in the 1800s, they brought with them a Halloween tradition
of lighting candles in turnips to keep spirits at bay. Finding
turnips in short supply in America, however, they began carving
pumpkins and thus the Jack-O-Lantern was born.

About Witches and Warlocks: (No I did not write this..

.I am not a real Warlock...although I have been called one :-) )

Speaking as a Warlock, thank you for dispelling some of the
wrong-headed notions about the craft. You might also wish to
make the point that witchcraft and Satanism are diametrically
opposed. In fact, most witches consider Satanism to be a
perverted form of Christianity...

It would be more proper to say that the "witch doctor" is
combating the effects of evil or bad magic--though many "witch
doctors" (the proper term would actually be "shaman"--and they
come in both sexes) also treat regular illnesses as well, and
frequently with a good deal of success!
 

The word "witch" in the Exodus verse "thou shall not suffer a
witch to live", actually meant "poisoned" in the original
(Hebrew) text of the Bible.

Why do we call people who turn into wolves "werewolves"?
(answer below)

The Answer:
Well, what would YOU call a person who turned into a wolf?
Something respectful, I hope, if he were standing nearby.

The werewolf legend dates back at least to ancient Rome. The
King of Arcadia was said to have been turned into a wolf when
he sought to test the divinity of the god Jupiter by serving
him a hash made from human flesh. Jupiter, who was probably
partial to omelets, took offense and before you know it, the
King was howling at the moon.

Oh, the word werewolf comes from the Old English, "wer,"
meaning man. Yes, man-wolf sounds backwards, but what do you
expect from a guy who walks around on all fours?

(Source: BREWER'S DICTIONARY OF PHRASE AND FABLE)
http://mailbits.com/Trivia/Source/82.htm

So now that you know...
Have a Happy Halloween!