With Halloween quickly approaching, many people around the globe are preparing for the holiday by decorating their homes, buying costumes, and watching horror films to get in the holiday spirit. However, in some parts of the United States people are preparing for another holiday celebrated the night before Halloween known as Mischief Night.
First referenced in the United Kingdom in 1790, Mischief night was first celebrated as a part of May Day celebrations and was later shifted to later in the year. Once these celebrations came to some parts of the United States and UK, Mischief night has been historically celebrated every year on October 30th the night before Halloween.
As the name reveals, Mischief night is a night of tricks, pranks, and all different forms of mischief. One of the most popular pranks on Mischief Night is the throwing of rolls of toilet paper on trees, houses, and buildings. Kids and teenagers will typically wait until it is dark and prank their neighbors so they wake up to their yard full of toilet paper. Other pranks include throwing powder on cars, egging houses, smashing pumpkins, turning signs upside-down, playing ding-dong-ditch and more. Unfortunately, sometimes the tradition of performing harmless pranks in honor of the holiday can be taken too far. Sometimes the pranks can escalate and cause property damage, where people use spray paint to vandalize areas they shouldn’t. In the 1980s, Detroit, Michigan faced high crime on Mischief Night due to people taking things too far, forcing over 40,000 local volunteers to begin patrolling neighborhoods to prevent damage. Despite some people taking advantage of the tradition, most people make sure to keep their pranks fun and harmless.
Strangely, this holiday is not universally known or recognized by all parts of the US, Canada, and the UK. The holiday is largely popular in northeast sections of the US, including the states of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire, Western Massachusetts, and Deleware. It is also well-known in areas like New Orleans, parts of Michigan like Detroit, Baltimore, North and South Dakota, and Rhode Island. In Canada, places such as British Columbia, Winnipeg, Ontario, Vancouver, and Toronto recognize their own form of the holiday. Parts of Northern England also have their own forms of celebration.
The official name of this night of pranks also differs based on location. In states like New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York it is known as “Mischief Night”. In Canada, Michigan, and some other neighboring areas it is known as “Devil’s Night”. In Baltimore, Maryland it is known as “Moving Night” due to the abundance of porch furniture stolen or exchanged. Some other names used in various regions are “Goosey Night,” “Cabbage Night,” “Gate Night”, “Mat Night,” and more.
While this night of pranks is called various names throughout the world, many people take part in the fun before their Halloween celebrations. As a resident of New Jersey, this tradition was popular in my area among the kids and teens. When I was younger, I was always looking forward to waking up on Halloween Morning and driving around town to see who got pranked the night before. Whether you choose to celebrate Mischief Night or not this year, make sure you stay safe, keep your pranks fun, and wear a mask!
Vocabulary List:
Mischief (n): playful misbehavior or troublemaking;
Ding-Dong-Ditch (n): prank that involves ringing someone's doorbell and then running away before the person can see who it was;
Vandalize (v): to destroy or damage;
Universally (adverb): by everyone, in every case;
Abundance (n): in large quantity.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Hailey Womer is a third-year student at Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York pursuing a dual major in Public Relations and Political Science. With interests in communications, public diplomacy, and politics & government, she hopes to use communication to grow the passions of the public and advocate for others. In her free time, you can find her editing social media content, engrossed in the fashion trends of the season, catching up on the latest political buzz, or on a philanthropic mission to make the world just a little bit brighter!