What would Halloween be without the Jack O' Lantern?

It has roots in the Celtic festival of Samhain and the Christian observance of All Saints' Day, but is today largely a secular celebration.

The tradition originated from an Irish myth about a man nicknamed 'Stingy Jack'.

According to the story, Stingy Jack invited the Devil to have a drink with him, but true to his name, Stingy Jack didn't want to pay for his drink, so he convinced the Devil to turn himself into a coin.

Once the Devil did so, Jack decided to keep the money and put it into his pocket next to a silver cross, which prevented the Devil from changing back into his original form.

Jack later freed the Devil with the agreement that he would not bother him for another year and that, should Jack die, he would not claim his soul. And surprisingly, the Devil kept his word.

According to the myth, the following year, Jack again tricked the Devil into climbing into a tree to pick a piece of fruit. While he was up in the tree, Jack carved a sign of the cross into the tree's bark so that the Devil could not come down until the Devil promised not to bother him for ten more years.

Soon after, Jack died and as legend would have it, God would not allow such an unsavoury figure into heaven. And the Devil being upset by the tricks Jack had played on him and keeping his word not to claim his soul, would not allow Jack into hell. He sent Jack off into the dark night with only a burning coal to light his way. Jack put the coal into a carved-out turnip and has been roaming the earth with it ever since. The Irish began to refer to this ghostly figure as 'Jack of the Lantern', and then, simply 'Jack O'Lantern'.

In Ireland and Scotland, people began to make their own versions of Jack's lanterns by carving scary faces into turnips or potatoes and placing them into windows or near doors to frighten away Stingy Jack and other wandering evil spirits. In England, large beets are used. Immigrants from these countries brought the Jack O' Lantern tradition with them when they came to the United States. They soon found that pumpkins, a fruit native to America, made perfect Jack O' Lanterns.

Today the tradition is around and every year many people carve out pumpkins to make Jack O'Lanterns.

This weekend Aberfeldy Nurseries are having their Decorated/Carved Pumpkin Competition (see sidebar of kids' events).

Ché Smith took us through a step-by-step guide of how to create the perfect one.

I. Purchase a pumpkin carving kit and template, available at Lindo's.

2. Select a pumpkin with a flat bottom at least three quarters of the exterior should be smooth because you will need a good work surface.

3. Carve off the top on a bevel with the mini-cutter in the carving kit.

4. Scoop out all of the seeds, pulp and stringy bits.

5. Lay the pumpkin down on its side.

6. Choose your template set from the pumpkin carving kit and stencil set.

7. Tape it onto the pumpkin to keep it secure.

8. Use the pinwheel to trace the edges of the chosen design.

9. Remove the template and set it aside.

10. Take the mini hand drill out of the package and drill it into the centre of the shape.

11. Use the mini saw out of the package and slip it into the drilled holes and cut along all of the holes made by the pinwheel.

12. Poke or push out all of the shapes that you cut out.

13. Look it over and if it is a little soft get a parent or a responsible adult to use a sharp knife to cut all of the shapes on a bevel (curve in towards the pumpkin) to allow more light to flow out of the newly formed Jack O'Lantern. This also gets rid of some of the excess stringy stuff that is inside.

14. To extend the life of your Jack O'Lantern make a solution of two capfuls of bleach and water in a spray bottle. Give it a good shake. Spray the pumpkin. Give it a good wash off. Dry it off.

15. Use a liberal coat of petroleum jelly or Vaseline on the exterior to keep off all of the bacteria.

16. Light a candle or night light and pop it in.

17. Watch your Jack O'Lantern glow.