Halloween is creeping up on us – get ready with some spooky (and not so spooky) Halloween treasures in our Halloween shop.
Our Halloween shop is sprouting full of Jack-O’-Lanterns galore – have you ever wondered about how such a staple in Halloween came to be?
The practice began centuries ago in Ireland where, instead of pumpkins, potatoes and turnips were used to carve spooky faces. From Irish folklore comes the legend of “Stingy Jack”, who invited the Devil to have a drink with him. As his name suggests, Jack was not keen on the idea of paying for the Devil’s drinks, so he convinced the Devil to turn himself into a coin to use to pay for their drinks. The Devil conceded, but Jack decided to keep the money and put it in his pocket beside a silver cross that would prevent the Devil from turning back into his original self. After long, Jack decided to free the Devil under the condition that he would not disturb Jack for a year, and that if he died, the Devil would not take his soul.
As one year came to a close, the Devil came back for Jack. Jack tricked the Devil yet again by convincing him to climb into a tree for a piece of fruit. When the Devil climbed up the tree, Jack carved a sign of the cross into the bark so that the Devil could not come down until he promised Jack that he would not disturb him for another ten years.
When Jack eventually died, God refused to let him into heaven for his actions, and the Devil kept his word not to take his soul, therefore not allowing him into the underworld and sending him off into the night with nothing but burning coal for light. Jack put the coal in a carved out turnip, and as legend has it, he has been roaming the earth ever since.
The Irish and Scottish began referring to this ghost as “Jack of the Lantern”, which turned into “Jack-O’-Lantern”, and began carving spooky faces into vegetables, bringing this tradition with them to the United States.
This story was adapted from History.com’s article: http://www.history.com/topics/halloween/jack-olantern-history
Malgorzata’s “Samantha” Jack O’ Lantern Polish Stoneware Halloween Angel
Malgorzata of Warsaw, Poland uses her expressive hands to sculpt our charming Halloween angel figurine Samantha with her own Jack O’ Lantern and a friendly smile. The artist hand-paints each angel sculpture with rich glazes and fires at high temperatures for everlasting beauty.
Halloween Jack-O’-Lantern Nana Bell Chime
If you want to impress your family with the most unique Halloween decor, this Jack-O’-Lantern nana bell chime will certainly do the trick. Each wind chime is handcrafted in the Indian port city of Surat from hand-cut and forged iron, and adorned with bright orange beads and a copper alloy nana bell.
Orange Halloween Fragrant Cinnamon Wax Vessel
Each Halloween fragrant wax vessel is hand-poured and embedded with silk and natural essences to release a long lasting fragrance of spicy cinnamon, clove and nutmeg with a touch of creamy coconut. Each wax vessel features jack-o’-lantern pumpkins and candy corn accents, adding the perfect touch of Halloween charm.
Daniel Lyons’ Halloween Jewelry
From Daniel Lyons of London comes this festive jewelry collection. Sculpted metal surfaces are plated with gold and decorated with jewelers enamel and colorful Swarovski crystals.
Jack-O’-Lantern Earrings by Daniel Lyons
Each of these adorable glass pumpkin sculptures is hand-blown by Mark of New Orleans. Forty years’ experience has taught him to anticipate the glass’ response to slight changes of movement or additions of color. Using only a blowpipe and hand tools, he masterfully shapes layers of richly-colored glass, then uses a cold-fusion technique to create each swirled autumnal decoration.
Polish Pottery Small Green Stemmed Pumpkin
Bring an exclusive piece of autumn to the home with our Polish pottery small pumpkin, handcrafted in Boleslawiec, Poland. Our artisans create this special autumnal collection by meticulously hand-painting vibrant autumnal symbols with sponges and fine brushwork, accented with an orange stem.
Find even more Halloween treasures on our Halloween shop!
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