Jack-o-Lanters

"For almost all Americans the meaning of [Jack-o-Lanters] is lost..." -John R. Stilgoe


This quote, and I guess the whole reading in general, makes me wonder how many customs or habits we have these days that are left over from the traditions of earlier cultures.  When thinking about that, it begs the question, what else in our lives have hidden meanings?  Why were these traditions forgotten?  If they were made to be forgotten by the existence of a new culture, why do the traditions still occur, meaningless or otherwise?  How did new meanings, like with the Jack-o-Lantern get assigned?  It also makes me think about the other customs we have in the present.  What will still be carried out in the future?  What traditions will survive?  Will their meanings be forgotten as well, becoming as meaningless and habitual as the Jack-o-Lantern?