Mischief night
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Mischief night or Gate night (also known as Devil's Night, Goosey Night, and Mizzy Night in some areas) is a tradition in parts of England, Canada and the United States; a night when the custom is for preteens and teenagers to take a degree of license to play pranks and do mischief to their neighbors. The most common date for mischief night is October 30, the day before Halloween. [1][2]
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[edit] Traditional practice
Traditionally, Mischief Night was celebrated on 4th November. This was due to Guy Fawkes' mischief and part of the mischief was to light bonfires early. Later, a mischief night was celebrated at Halloween (October 31 and the eve of winter) or May Eve (April 30 and the eve of summer) until the nineteenth century. Shrove Monday (i.e. the night before Shrove Tuesday and known as Nickanan Night in Cornwall and Dappy-Door Night in Devon)[3] was also celebrated in this way in some places. In some localities, notably Yorkshire, it occurred on the night before Guy Fawkes Night (November 4) but there are no records of this date being celebrated before the late nineteenth century and it is assumed that festivities were transferred there from the much older folk festivals.[4] An alternate view, with records going as far back as 1790, shows it was ported to Halloween.[5]
[edit] Contemporary practice
In Northern New Jersey's Passaic County it is called "Goosey Night". In Bergen County, it is referred to as "Cabbage Night" in some areas as well as "Goosey Night". In southern New Jersey and the Philadelphia region (as well as Westchester County, NY and Fairfield County, CT), October 30 is referred to as "Mischief Night," where mischievous teens rub soap bars on car windows, throw eggs at houses, adorn trees with toilet paper, and run away after ringing doorbells. In Camden, New Jersey, Mischief Night had escalated to the point where widespread arsons were committed in the 1990s. Over 130 arsons were committed in that city on the night of October 30, 1991.[6]
It is known as "Gate Night" in Trail, British Columbia, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Thunder Bay, Ontario and Rockland County, NY (USA) and as "Mat Night" (or Mad Night) in Quebec, Canada, always on the 30 October, the eve of Halloween.[2] It is also commonly known as "Devil's Night" in many places throughout Canada.
It is also known in Yorkshire as "mischievous night", "Miggy Night",[2] "Tick-Tack Night", "Corn Night", "Trick Night" and "Micky Night" and is celebrated on November 4th.[7] In Liverpool, it is known as "Mizzy Night" and is celebrated on October 30th.[8] It was celebrated on Nov 4 in Merseyside during the 1970s, as well as in Manchester after the war.[citation needed]
Modern tricks are toilet papering yards and buildings, powder-bombing and egging cars and people and homes, using soap to write on windows, "forking" yards, setting off consumer fireworks, and smashing pumpkins and jack-o'-lanterns.[2] Local grocery stores often refuse to sell eggs to pre-teens and teens around the time of Halloween for this reason. Occasionally though, the damage can include the more serious spray-painting of buildings and homes.[9]
Less destructive is the ever-popular "Ding-Dong Ditch": in this 'game' people ring doorbells or knock on doors, and then run and hide somewhere nearby. Areas known to use this term include Northern New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Vermont. "Knick knock" or "Knicker-knocking" is commonly used in the Pittsburgh area of Pennsylvania and "Knock n' Run" is commonly used in the New Jersey/Philadelphia area as well as in Liverpool, England. "Ring and Run" is also commonly used in northern New Jersey and New York. This game is known as Nicky-Nicky Nine Doors or Knock, Knock, Ginger throughout Canada.[10] A similar name exists in North East England, where it is known as Knicky-Knocky-Nine Doors. In Northern England the game is known as "bobby knocking", and often involves the joint pursuit of "hedge hopping", whereby the pranksters will jump from garden to garden, knocking on each door in turn before making a get-a-way to avoid being seen. In Scotland it is known as "Chapdoor Runaway" or even just "Chappy". One variation on "Ding-Dong Ditch" involves pranksters inserting a pin into a doorbell so that it rings continuously.
[edit] Angels' Night
In Detroit, Michigan, which was particularly hard-hit by Devil's Night arson and vandalism throughout the 1980s, many citizens take it upon themselves to patrol the streets to deter arsonists and those who may break the law. This is known as "Angels' Night". Some 40,000 volunteer citizens patrol the city on Angels' Night, which usually runs October 29 through October 31, just after most Halloween festivities have concluded.
[edit] Media
A 2006 film, Mischief Night, is based on events surrounding this night in Leeds, UK.[11][12]
[edit] References
- ^ 'Devil's Night' Fires Decline By More Than Half in Detroit Retrieved on 30 October 2008
- ^ a b c d Live Science: October 29, 2008-Devil's Night: The History of Pre-Halloween Pranks by Heather Whipps
- ^ Shrove Tuesday, some old Devon customs Retrieved on 30 October 2008
- ^ Hole, Christine A Dictionary of British Folk Customs Paladin 1978 ISBN 058608293X
- ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/nov/02/2
- ^ Firehouse.com News: Fire and Police Departments Extinguish Pre-Halloween Arson Sprees Retrieved on 30 October 2008
- ^ BBC North Yorkshire Retrieved on 30 Oct 2009
- ^ Liverpool Echo Retrieved on 30 Oct 2009
- ^ Jackson Citizen Patriot: October 21, 2007-Halloween blow-ups vandalized in Springport by Jake May
- ^ "11 Favourite Regionalisms Within Canada" © 2005 Katherine Barber from The Book of Lists by David Wallechinsky, Amy Wallace, Ira Basen and Jane Farrow: Knopf Canada-Paperback, 528 pages November 2005, 0-676-97720-0
- ^ Mischief Night film review Retrieved on 31 October 2008
- ^ imdb ref Retrieved on 31 October 2008
[edit] External links
- Confessions from a Mischief Night brat BBC Yorkshire report — November 2006
- Police Patrol for Mischief Night BBC Merseyside report — November 2006
- Dialect Survey ResultsUS terms;prevalence and distribution
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