Mischief Night

[MontyVeda]

When i was a lad (70s & early 80s) Mischief Night was on the 4th November, the night before Bonfire Night. It was everything to do with the gun powder plot and nothing to do with Halloween... but these days, some folk seem to think is was the night before Halloween (maybe in the States, but not here in Blighty so far as i know).

I was having this discussion last night and one guy 'explained' that mischief night is all hallows eve, that being then night before Halloween... would he accept that all hallows eve and Halloween are the same night? would he feck!

Anyway... lets have a poll... when is Mischief Night?

 

[Threevok]

Any night the kids wont go to bed

 

[Deleted member 26715]

4th November, we were only talking about this the other day, we would never break anything (purposely) there was about 6 gardens in the next village that had gnomes, so we just used to move them all around.

 

[Electric_Andy]

I've never heard it called mischief night. Halloween is tonight (31st) and I hate it.

 

[classic33]

30th October.

The day of the dead.

 

[srw]

Wikipedia has spoken....
"In the United Kingdom, these pranks were originally carried out as part of May Daycelebrations, but shifted to later in the year, dates varying in different areas, some marking it on October 30, the night before Halloween, others on November 4, the night before Bonfire Night. "
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mischief_Night

Those pesky local folk traditions - different in different places.

And for the record, I'd never heard of it. In an international and rapidly growing town in Oxfordshire in the 1970s and 1980s we vaguely remembered Halloween and went to the fireworks on the Saturday nearest Bonfire night.

 

[MichaelO]

It used to be in May.

 

[Bodhbh]

I think we had it on the 30th, although that whole week we tended to be up to no good.

/edit - Grimsby area in the 80s for the record.

 

[Red17]

Never heard of it

 

[marinyork]

And for the record, I'd never heard of it. In an international and rapidly growing town in Oxfordshire in the 1970s and 1980s we vaguely remembered Halloween and went to the fireworks on the Saturday nearest Bonfire night.

BBC magazine article from 2009 with input from a Leeds Met academic. Suspect that is where that quote is lifted from. Some of the comments are interesting.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8339617.stm

 

[User482]

It was definitely still called Mischief Night in my part of Lancashire. This was the mid 1980s.

 

[MontyVeda]

It was definitely still called Mischief Night in my part of Lancashire. This was the mid 1980s.

But when was it?

I'm guessing those who've never heard of Mischief night are under 30 years of age?

 

[User482]

But when was it?

I'm guessing those who've never heard of Mischief night are under 30 years of age?

It was around Halloween but I can't remember the exact night.

It still makes the local papers in the north: http://www.southportvisiter.co.uk/n...orks-posted-through-letterbox-police-13835040

 

[Nonethewiser]

4th November locally when I was a lad but it died out here a number of years ago. Interest with local kids now seems to have switched to Halloween. These days Halloween seems to be more commonly called trick or treat night, which I believe is a term adopted from the States.

 

[subaqua]

30th October.

The day of the dead.

Day of the dead is NOT the 30th October.

as much as I hate wikipedia as a source https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day_of_the_Dead

Gradually, it was associated with October 31, November 1 and November 2 to coincide with the Western Christianity triduum of Allhallowtide: All Saints' Eve, All Saints' Day, and All Souls' Day