Stingy Jack
(or why we have pumpkins at Halloween)
A long time ago, in Ireland, there was a boy. His name was Jack. Stingy Jack. Jack was not generous. He was stingy. Stingy Jack loved money. He had money, but he didn’t give any money to his family. Stingy Jack was lazy. He sat under a tree and he ate turnips.
Stingy Jack loved playing tricks. He played tricks on his family. He played tricks on his friends. One day, Stingy Jack played a trick on the Devil. He said to the Devil, “Climb up my tree, quickly!” The Devil climbed up the tree. Stingy Jack put crosses round the tree. The Devil is allergic to crosses. It was not possible for the Devil to climb down. Stingy Jack laughed, but the Devil was not happy. He was angry.
The Devil said, “Take the crosses away, or you will go to Hell!”
Stingy Jack said, “I don’t want to go to Hell”. So, he took the crosses away and the Devil climbed down the tree.
A long time later, Stingy Jack died. He wanted to go to Paradise, but Saint Peter said “No! You are
stingy. You are not generous. You cannot come to Paradise! Go down to Hell.”
The Devil said, “You took the crosses away for me. You cannot come to Hell. Take a light and go away!”
So, Stingy Jack cut a turnip and put the light in the turnip. He didn’t have a house, so he walked round the world with his light. The Irish people cut turnips and potatoes and put lights in them. They were scared of Stingy Jack. They didn’t want Stingy Jack to come to their house!
A long time later, there was a famine in Ireland. Irish people went to America. In America, there were big orange pumpkins. The people cut the pumpkins and put lights in the pumpkins to scare Stingy Jack away!