Mischief Night is an informal holiday on which children, teenagers and adults (both young and old) engage in jokes, pranks, vandalism and/or parties.
It takes place annually on the night of 30th October, one day before the Halloween and hence it is part of the Halloween celebrations. It is known by a variety of names including Devil's Night, Gate Night, Goosey Night, Moving Night, Cabbage Night and Mat Night.
It is primarily observed in the United States but it is also celebrated in countries like Canada, United Kingdom and Ireland as part of the Halloween celebrations. In some parts of Northern England it is celebrated on 4th November while at certain places it also takes place on 1st May as May Day celebrations.
| Event | Mischief Night |
|---|---|
| Date | October 30, 2022 |
| Day | Sunday |
| Significance | Its the fun day on which children, teenagers and adults engage in jokes and pranks |
| Observed by | United States |
Mischief Night History:
The oldest uses of the term "Mischief Night" were in Britain, not the U.S., with the first known instance at Oxford in 1790. However, that mention, like later 19th-century usages in books and newspapers, doesn’t mean Oct. 30. Instead, that Mischief Night was the day before May Day, when young people played practical jokes such as switching shop signs, overturning water tubs and trapping people inside their houses.
Other British mentions of Mischief Night may refer to Nov. 4, the eve of Guy Fawkes Day. In 1885, a Lancashire bulletin noted that, as part of the pranks, "the youths take upon themselves to remove many of the gates belonging to private residents. They seem to glory in the sport, and appear to think they have a perfect right to do so, through custom."
References to the Halloween-related tradition of Mischief Night start appearing in U.S. newspapers in the 1930s and 40s, with celebrants apparently hoping to separate the wholesome ritual of dressing up and collecting candy from the custom of causing mayhem. Some argue that tensions arising from the Great Depression(Black Tuesday) was right before Halloween, on Oct. 29, in 1929 and the threat of war encouraged both the trend of vandalism and the separate desire for a more lighthearted tradition.
A 1937 article in the Daily Boston Globe describes children "ringing false alarms, setting fires, breaking windows, and in general doing their best to annoy people" along with a disappeared horse and wagon, leaves dumped on lawns and doorbells rung. The holiday was mostly a nuisance, which required police attention irritatingly often, in 1975 prompting the Hartford Courant to mention, "the destruction of private property cannot and will not be tolerated. Parents are urged to warn their children of the consequences of such behavior."
That Mischief Night destruction ended up introducing a new term to the pre-Halloween lexicon: Angels’ Night. The idea was introduced in 1995 by Detroit officials to coordinate the tens of thousands of volunteers who patrolled neighborhoods, helping to reduce the number of fires and eventually bring them to normal levels. As a result now Mischief Night is mostly about parties and playing small pranks with friends only.
Mischief Night Significance:
In most of New Jersey, as well as in New Orleans, Philadelphia, Eastern Pennsylvania, Delaware, parts of New York State, and Connecticut, it is referred to as "Mischief Night" or, particularly in the Great Lakes region, "Devil's Night". In some towns in Northern New Jersey and parts of New York State, it is also known as "Goosey Night" and "Cabbage Night". In Baltimore, Maryland, it has traditionally been referred to as "Moving Night" due to the custom of exchanging or stealing porch furniture and other outside items.
Today, Mischief Night is generally recognized as a New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Michigan phenomenon. In Detroit, which was particularly affected 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, around the time most Halloween festivities are taking place.
Since the next day is Halloween, Mischief Night is the best time to get into a spooky mood. It is that time of the year when we can let our hair down a bit and indulge in some harmless fun activities but you need to remember one thing that whatever you do as a prank or any spooky activity it must be harmless and legal as mentioned before in the name of celebrations you can't indulge yourself with activities like arson, vandalism, bullying, etc. If done harmlessly, a prank can bring a smile to everybody's face. On Mischief Night, we can get away with a prank or two without offending anyone.
It is an excellent way to mend broken ties by playing a prank on that relative or friend with whom you have fallen out and see the ice thaw. If you were wondering how to mend bridges with someone, play an innocent and funny prank, and see the grudge disappear behind a good laugh. Perhaps you could achieve something more with your simple gesture than you could do with an intense discussion. Halloween is a time of festivity and celebrations so keep it that way and use this opportunity to have some fun time with your loved ones and also try to amend ties with your known ones.
Mischief Night Celebrations:
While many communities have begun to take back Mischief Night from the pranksters and vandals, traditionally the holiday has been marked by all kinds of foolishness. On this day, children and young adults have been known to smash pumpkins, soap windows, egg houses and cars, toilet paper people's houses and trees and play ding-dong ditch (ring doorbells and run away). However, most communities including us would encourage people to spend the days with their families eating candy and watching scary movies.
In Vermont and New Hampshire, it is known as Cabbage Night because cabbages were thrown against people's houses on this night. This tradition comes from a Scottish tradition in which young girls would pull cabbages to examine them and try to divine who their husband will be. Of course, once the cabbages have told these young ladies all they could, the only thing left to do with them was to throw the cabbages against someone's door and run away.
In New Orleans, from 2014 to 2018, Mischief Night involved a series of unruly parade-like riots. According to participants, the Mischief Night 'krewes' follow in New Orleans' carnival's centuries-old tradition of 'walking parades', most of which take place in the lead-up to Mardi Gras. Mixing revelry with mindless violence, Mischief Night parades involve thematic floats and costumes as well as targeted vandalism and fires. Fortunately this has stopped now.
Unfortunately, there are still people who think that vandalizing things and being annoying is a fun thing to do. That's why towns in New Jersey like Long Branch, Sea Bright, and Oceanport have all implemented curfews. The bright side is that the majority of people in America don't recognize Mischief Night and mostly celebrate this day preparing for the Halloween the next day by having a nice time with family and friends with some mild pranks or fun activities.
Most Searched FAQs on Mischief Night:
1. When is Mischief Night celebrated?
Mischief Night is annually celebrated on October 30th.
2. Does Mischief Night still happen?
While other parts of the world have other versions of the holiday, Mischief Night is predominantly still celebrated in New Jersey, Delaware, and around Philadelphia. However, most Americans do not recognize Mischief Night.
3. Is Mischief Night the same as Halloween?
It is a pre-Halloween celebration that can sometimes be seen as a preparation for its more popular counterpart or a separation of the Halloween tricks from the treats.