Someone told me that today (Nov. 4) is Mischief Night in England, Australia and New Zealand.
What happens on Mischief Night? Can any Dopers from these countries enlighten me?
Mischief Night also happens in the States too. Generally the day befor Halloween thug kids go out and soap windows, toilet paper houses, and do minor vandalism types of things. When we used to do it, one of the rules was that we couldn’t do anything that didn’t come off with the water hose.
It refers to the tradition of rioting and disorder originally associated with Guy Fawkes Night. Of course, Guy Fawkes Night is tomorrow (5 November), but, for reasons which are not entirely clear, the troublemaking in some places shifted to the night before. Why bother getting the date right when you can get your disorder and mayhem in first?
This Olde-Worlde English custom in fact only dates back to the early twentieth century, although rioting on Guy Fawkes Night itself had been a regular feature of the nineteenth-century celebrations. In Britain the idea of a separate ‘Mischief Night’ was never widespread and it has now largely vanished, having existed for no more a few generations. This is a good example of how, far from being the timeless products of distant antiquity, folk customs are often fluid and ever-changing.
Mischief Night also happens in the States too. Generally the day befor Halloween thug kids go out and soap windows, toilet paper houses, and do minor vandalism types of things. When we used to do it, one of the rules was that we couldn’t do anything that didn’t come off with the water hose.
We more commonly called it “Mickey Night” and it was one of the highlights of the year when I was a kid (in England). We indulged in harmless but annoying pranks, like knocking on doors and running away, upending dustbins, and throwing bangers (firecrackers) around. OK, that last one could end up being far from harmless.
We did nothing at all for Halloween - I culdn’t even have told you what day it occurred. Mickey night was really Halloween where you just did the “trick” part.
It is interesting that APB says that it has largely vanished. Is that what other UK dopers have seen, too? My “mischief” days were in the early 70s. Has American-style Halloween hopped the pond to take the place of Mischief Night?
When I was a young’un me and my friends hatched a twistedly brilliant plot to squirt maple syrup into the locks of neighborhood cars. Utter chaos would have ensued. However, the plan was foiled by a responsible adult, who thought it odd that we were buying eggs as well on such an ill-fated night. In retrospective, that was a very fortunate thing.
The city of Detroit as a concept known as “Devil’s Night.” How does that related to mischief night?
UnuMondo
Same thing. It’s just that in Detroit, instead of toilet-papering trees and soaping car windows, those fun-loving kids try to burn down the city.
to get back to the OP, the concept of mischief night is virtually unknown in New Zealand, I’ m not sure about Australia.
Also, I recall watching a documentary a couple years back about mischief night. The “mishief” in question was a lot worse than soaping windows or toilet papering cars; I seem to recall molotov cocktails being thrown at shops, and people being beaten up pretty badly
said documentary was set in the UK by the way.