Jack be quick,

Jack jump over

The candlestick.

In medieval England, most weddings were held on November 25, St. Catherine’s Day. The festivities usually ended with a strange ritual. A candlestick with a lighted candle was placed on the floor and everyone took turns jumping over it. If you didn’t extinguish the flame, you’d have good luck for a full year. If you put out the flame, you might as well write off the next year and take a long vacation. If you landed on the candle, you’d had too much grog and probably needed a designated driver to cart you home.

On January 4, 2003, James Bowditch wrote:

I’d always heard that Jack represented the English clergyman who during the time of Henry VIII and Queen (bloody) Mary, didn’t know whether to affiliate with the Anglican (Episcopal) Church or the Roman Catholic Church. The candlestick represented the divide between Canterbury and Rome, and a lot of clergy were hopping back and forth rather “nimbly” to avoid burning at the stake or whatever treat was in store for them.