Craze of the Hudson Valley Jack 'O Lantern Blaze

Halloween just went by, but Halloween fever is yet to die (atleast in the Hudson Valley region of New York!)

According to Irish folklore, long long time ago there lived a mean drunkard named Jack who once encountered the devil himself. Jack was infamous as a master deceiver and when devil asked him to give up his soul, Jack asked for a last wish. He asked the devil if he could have an apple before his death. The Devil agreed and went up an apple tree to fetch one for Jack. Jack meanwhile carved a cross on the tree, trapping the devil on it. In return of his freedom, Devil promised Jack he will not take his soul to hell. When Jack died, St Peter (a hallow) denied him heaven due to his vile ways of life, and devil denied hell because of his promise. The devil then played his trick on Jack by giving him a glowing amber from hell’s fire, the light of which would warn everyone of Jack’s presence. Stuck in between the two worlds, Jack carved a turnip he had with him, placed the amber in it and set out to roam the Earth for eternity.

With time Jack ‘O Lanterns - carved out of turnips and potatoes to mock and ward off Jack - became a part of Halloween in the Celtic regions aka Ireland, Wales and Scotland. When people from Europe migrated to US, they discovered pumpkins – a fall harvest crop that was bigger than turnips, and soon the light of Halloween started to get placed in pumpkins. 

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Thus, the current trend of decorating with hand carved pumpkin Jack ‘O Lanterns is an integral part of Halloween.

And guess what, Hudson Valley takes this tradition to another level! With more than seven thousand hand carved pumpkins elaborately arranged in the grounds around Van Cortlandt Manor in Croton, NY, the Great Jack ‘O Lantern Blaze of Hudson Valley is the event of Halloween that is not to be missed if you are in or around NYC. Given this place is very close to Sleepy Hollow, Halloween has to be grand and crazy here, right? The Blaze makes sure of that by starting the craziness well in advance and keeping the flair on even after ‘All Hallows Evening’. After weeks of planning I finally managed to attend the blaze last week and my what a weird yet beautiful sight it was!

Welcome to the great pumpkin blaze, where you enter a dark dimly lit forest, probably like the one where Jack met the Devil.

To take the darkness away and lift your spirits, visit the windmill in a beautiful tulip garden. Momentarily you will be transported to some beautiful corner of Europe.

Let the Lights guide you to the bridge of sleepy hollow, taking you through a mysterious jungle of bats, owls, sea monsters and other beasts.

Soon you will be sent back in time to the era when Halloween originated in the Celtic region. Wonder about life and the circle of eternity while marveling an array of Celtic knots.

Come back to this bizarre time with the carousel of the dead and cross over to the land of the zodiac signs. Spot your sign and hope for luck and get lost in the stars.

Walk under the stars and shake off all your fear. Enjoy while you can because soon you would be in a doomed town.

Hear the headless horse rider? He might be close because you just got to the abandoned inn in the middle of nowhere.

But don’t worry, the blaze train will take you far far away where you can meet the funny men in today’s America!

Well men and the lady.

But not that far. The clock is ticking. The town is sleeping. But there is a chill in the air.

The eeriness is creeping. And the silence is seeping While there stands this manor, still clinging to a glorious past, mocking Jack in every possible way.

Basically, it was a treat to walk through the blaze! I know that all I can share are pictures and just words and they can’t do justice to the atmosphere at Van Cortlandt Manor during the blaze. 

So, if you are in the area, you still have a couple of weekends to make it to the Great Jack 'O Lantern Blaze and experience the eeriness yourself before it is all gone for the season. 

When is the Blaze and how to get there:

The blaze is held at Van Cortlandt Manor (525 S Riverside, Croton-on-Hudson, NY 10520) every year from the last weekend of September to the last weekend of November. While during November and September, the blaze is open only during weekends, it is open throughout the month of October.

If you are coming from Jersey or NYC, take the metro north rail to Croton/Poughkeepsie. The closest station – Croton Harmon, is at a 15 minutes walking distance from the grounds.

Also, there is a small snack and drinks shack and a gift shop at the venue.

Entry Fees - Adults $22; Children $16; there are no student or senior citizen concessions. Food and drinks cost is not included in the admission fee. You can get the tickets HERE.

For 2020 - The blaze is operating at low capacity and it is mandatory to get the tickets in advance. To read more about the measure taken by the organizers with respect to CDC's COVID related health guidelines please click HERE. 

Have you attended a similar blaze or done pumpkin carving? How was your experience? Do share with me in the comments below!

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