Have you ever wondered why people carve pumpkins and put lights inside them? The familiar Halloween pumpkin has a story behind it – and one version of that story involves a cunning Irishman, the Devil, and a burning coal.
In this video, I’ll tell you the legend of Stingy Jack in European Portuguese. Along the way, we’ll explore the folklore behind the Jack-o’-lantern and discover how a root-vegetable tradition became associated with the pumpkin lantern we recognise today.
Why an Irish folktale on a Portuguese learning website?
You might be wondering why I’m sharing an Irish story on a website dedicated to learning European Portuguese!
Halloween has become increasingly visible in Portugal, too, although it hasn’t traditionally been celebrated here in quite the same way as in Ireland or the USA. Much of what we see around Halloween today is influenced by international popular culture and commercial traditions.
I’m half Irish, so the legend of Stingy Jack connects with a little part of my own background. But there’s another reason I wanted to share it.
Learning Portuguese doesn’t mean we have to talk only about Portugal. A language allows us to explore the world, share stories and discover different cultures. We can use Portuguese to talk about Ireland, Japan, Brazil, our own families, or anything else that interests us.
At The Sounds of Portuguese, I want to help you understand and use Portuguese in meaningful contexts. Portugal can be our starting point, but the world is our classroom.
So, here’s an Irish folktale, told in European Portuguese.
Watch the video
This video is aimed at A2/B1 learners of European Portuguese. Listen to the story, follow the images and see how much you can understand from the context. You don’t need to understand every word on your first listen.
1. Before you watch
Before watching, see if you recognise any of these words:
- o Diabo
- o avarento
- o nabo
- a abóbora
- enganar
2. While you watch
As you watch, try to identify:
- Quem é Stingy Jack?
- O que é que ele faz para enganar o Diabo?
- Porque é que ele não pode entrar no Céu ou no Inferno?
- O que é que ele leva com ele?
3. Depois de ver (After watching)
Can you remember these expressions?
Listen again and try to find the Portuguese expressions used in the story for:
- Once upon a time…
- One day…
- He made a deal with…
- He couldn’t enter…
- He had to wander…
Can you say them aloud? Try repeating the sentences after you hear them.
Why is Stingy Jack connected to Halloween?
The connection becomes clearer when we look at the folklore surrounding Halloween.
Halloween has roots in older seasonal customs, including traditions associated with Samhain in Ireland. This time of year became linked in folklore with the boundary between the living and the dead, as well as stories about spirits and supernatural beings.
Stingy Jack’s fate fits naturally into this world of folklore. In Ireland and parts of Britain, people carved frightening faces into turnips and other root vegetables, sometimes placing lights inside them. These lanterns were associated with beliefs about wandering spirits and ways of frightening them away.
The precise historical relationship between the legend of Stingy Jack and the lantern tradition is difficult to establish. We cannot say for certain that the story created the custom, but the two became closely linked in Halloween folklore.
Is Halloween Celebrated in Portugal?
Halloween is celebrated in Portugal today, particularly among children and younger generations, but the familiar celebrations involving costumes, pumpkins and spooky decorations have become popular relatively recently.
Traditionally, this time of year has a different significance in Portugal. All Saints’ Day (Dia de Todos os Santos), on 1st November, is an important Catholic feast, and many families visit cemeteries to remember loved ones who have died. The following day, 2nd November, is All Souls’ Day (Dia dos Fiéis Defuntos), dedicated to the remembrance of the faithful departed.
You can learn more about these traditions in my lesson:
More Portuguese Lessons about Irish Culture ☘️
Learn Portuguese through stories
Stories are a useful way to encounter Portuguese in context. Rather than learning isolated words, you can hear them as part of a meaningful sequence of events, supported by images and the wider story.
As you watch, listen out for these words:
- o avarento (a miserly or stingy person)
- o Diabo (the Devil)
- o Céu (Heaven)
- o Inferno (Hell)
- o nabo (turnip)
- a abóbora (pumpkin)
- a lanterna (lantern)
- enganar (to trick or deceive)
- vaguear (to wander around without a particular destination)
Try watching once to follow the story, then listen again to notice more vocabulary and expressions. You may understand more each time.
You don’t have to know every word to enjoy a story or learn something from it.
Whether we’re discovering an Irish folktale, exploring a Portuguese city or talking about everyday life, the aim is the same: to understand Portuguese through meaningful content.
If you enjoy learning through stories, culture and real-world context, explore more videos and resources here at The Sounds of Portuguese.
Happy learning!
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Até já! 🇵🇹
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