Though the pumpkin was a harvest symbol, it was also believed to scare away evil spirits. Folks would carve hideous faces into them and illuminate with a candle on Halloween to scare away the evil spirits that would come out on that special night.
These pumpkin lanterns were eventually called jack-o'-lanterns from an old Irish story. An Irishman named jack cleverly tricked the devil out of stealing his soul, but because of the disreputable life he had led was not allowed to enter into heaven. He was condemned to wander the world in darkness, but the devil eased his burden by giving him a piece of coal from hell to light his lantern.
There is a superstition that says Good Friday is best day to plant pumpkins. This is because of the belief that pumpkins ward off evil.
Most excellent, great obscure find - happy Hallows eve
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