The pumpkin has come to symbolize the holiday as much as ghouls, goblins, ghosts, and witches. But how many people know how the Jack O'Lantern has come to be associated with Halloween, and why the pumpkin has come to be used?
The answer seems to lie in an Irish folktale that goes something like this:
A long time ago, there lived an unfortunate soul, a stingy blacksmith named Jack, known far and wide for his quick temper and his constant state of drunkenness. One All Hallows Eve, after Jack had imbibed too much at his favorite pub and his life had begun to slip away, the Devil appeared.