Spin Cycle: Halloween
Do they call the night before Halloween "Mischief Night" where you live?
Back in New Jersey, Mischief Night was big. People left their porch lights on and listened for bands of roving kids in the dark, looking to smash pumpkins and armed with toilet paper, shaving cream, or eggs. Police cars cruised the streets.
Growing up in northern New Jersey, our town actually called it "Cabbage Night." And no, I have no idea why. One theory was that the name stemmed from farming days when kids would trash the fields and throw around the cabbages. But who knows?
My mother took Cabbage Night very seriously. We were not allowed out of the house, and she would sit in the dark at the front windows of our house, guarding it from potential marauders.
My sister and I would be up in our rooms seething, furious that we couldn't hit the streets with at least a roll of toilet paper. But then one year it was rumored boys were roaming around spraying Nair on girls' heads instead of shaving cream, causing them to lose their hair. Cabbage Night participants were urged by the authorities to stay home or, if they must venture out, to at least cover their hair with a hat.
Although we personally never knew anyone this happened to, the mere suggestion of losing our hair was enough to stop our complaining for at least several years.
Mischief Night is pretty nonexistent on the Vineyard. I don't know if this is just the island or all of New England. Any shenanigans out here tend to occur on Halloween night.
Trick or Treating is usually over before 9 pm, but the police stay on alert for possible paint ball incidents or teenagers plotting a dramatic "rumble in the park," both of which have occurred (but were quickly subdued) since I moved here nine Halloweens ago.
What's the protocol in your neck of the woods? Any shaving cream or toilet paper streamers decorating the trees in your past?
For more Halloween Spins, check out the treats over at Sprite's Keeper.
Just lots of sugar-crazed little kids in cute costumes trick or treating in a neighborhood where decorating for Halloween is taken pretty seriously. As the night winds down, teenagers who don't even bother to dress up come a-knocking. So tender in a way - too cool for costumes, but they still want candy.
-maria
Posted by: vintage simple | October 30, 2009 at 08:33 AM
Shenanigans? In Podunk? Heaven forbid.
I'd be glad to see a few shenanigans, to be perfectly honest. I just hate how sanitized our society has made everything.
No cabbage or mischief night in Texas or Ohio, though - in fact, I've never heard of it.
Posted by: Jan | October 30, 2009 at 09:10 AM
In my area, the kids mostly take to the mall for trick or treating since the foreclosures are so many. Neighborhoods are just not as populated.
We are going to a nicer neighborhood with some friends for tomorrow night, but tonight we will be going to Sprite's Fall Festival where the kids get to trick or treat with their teachers. Always fun!
Posted by: Sprite's Keeper | October 30, 2009 at 09:11 AM
In our neck of the woods, we have real shamans busting real ghosts.
Posted by: Ocean Girl | October 30, 2009 at 09:24 AM
Comments are acting funny today. You're linked!
Posted by: Sprite's Keeper | October 30, 2009 at 09:32 AM
Growing up, outside of Philadelphia, kids would also soap car windows on Mischief Night, as well as toilet paper trees and some threw eggs (bad for your car... egg whites can take the paint off!)
I haven't seen too much since moving to Pottstown 20 years ago. Our trees had a little toilet paper a few years. There's a greater danger of my neighbor, Saran Wrapping my car!
Posted by: Joanie M | October 30, 2009 at 09:33 AM
I've never heard of Mischief Night either. The hooligans where I grew up caused their trouble on Halloween. I thought that's what the "trick" in trick-or-treat was supposed to be for.
Posted by: Arwen | October 30, 2009 at 10:05 AM
I just realized how Out Of Touch I am with my community. To be honest, I have no idea what the answer to your question is! I tend to hide out on Hallowe'en if I can get away with it. I don't have kids and my neighbourhood doesn't have lots of kids living in it so I don't bother staying home to hand out candy.
If I had to guess I'd have to say that if there are shenanigans, they happen on Hallowe'en night and not Mischief Night. I never really hear of anything either way. I'll have to keep an eye on the news next week and see what I learn.
Have a wonderful Friday!
~Penny
Posted by: Picture Imperfect | October 30, 2009 at 10:20 AM
No mischief night. Isn't EVERY night in New Jersey mischief night?
Posted by: LPC | October 30, 2009 at 10:55 AM
Where I grew up (Midwest) it was called "Devil's Night." Where I am now (South) I don't even know if they have a name for it - and quite honestly, I don't know if a Mischief night exists. But that's probably because of my age - I'm a bit out of touch with the hooligans that would be involved in any kind of mischief.
Posted by: Jane | October 30, 2009 at 11:18 AM
In El Paso...all the children that live across the border come over decorated in colorful and ghoulish costumes. Dia de la Muerta is a big deal. Lots of skeletons and flowers...which makes for a crazy combination! I go to a friends home to help pass out tons of candy. My house is behind a gate...so we only get a couple of neighborhood children. Which makes me sad.
Posted by: Jill | October 30, 2009 at 11:22 AM
Maureen - I am a also a Jersey girl... I've never heard it called Cabbage Night though.
However, I hate Mischief Night, and like your mother I've sat vigil in my house at the window in the dark too :) My girls never even asked to go out.
Halloween isn't a favorite either :) There were some years in the late 80's and early 90's when we'd have almost 250 kids trick or treating... people would drive their kids to our development from other parts of town. I always enjoy the little ones.. it's the big, scary ones who are intent on doing damage that make it bad.
We're moving next week so I only have one more Halloween in this house... 34 years of them have been sufficient :)
And yes... we've been the target of Mischief Night... surprisingly it was AFTER my girls were out of high school. Go figure :)
Posted by: Joan | October 30, 2009 at 11:32 AM
I do not recall to much mischief myself growing up. The only time there was such things was when there was a football game, and that was reserved for the rival's school.
Great spin!
Posted by: Christopher (AKA: CaJoh) | October 30, 2009 at 11:52 AM
I live near downtown Detroit. And Devil's Night, as it is called here, is very dangerous. Houses are lit on fire, moving cars have things thrown at them, and all sorts of violent things occur. Curfew starts at 5:30 tonight for all the kids. No one under 18 can be caught out alone or they will spend the night in jail. Anyone loiters will also spend the night in jail. It is taken too seriously where we are.
Posted by: WickedStepMom | October 30, 2009 at 12:20 PM
Once in Maine when I was (much) younger, we had our house egged and our car toilet papered. I haven't seen any night before shenanigans since.
Unfortunetly, I think the new definition to "shenanigans" are vadilisome and possibly assult.
Posted by: Heather | October 30, 2009 at 02:42 PM
I don't hear too much about mischief here. When I was a kid in Indiana, the big thing was to soap windows. And then there was some toilet papering and eggs. But mostly funny, gross or rude message written in soap on the window.
Posted by: Smart Mouth Broad | October 30, 2009 at 05:03 PM
Oh man, such memories!
I grew up in a town right over the border in NY (What town in N. Jersey are you from, anyway?) (have we had this conversation?), and Mischief Night was a big deal. My mother would never let us out... and turned the lights out, etc., just like yours. Then one year she gave up and let us go. It was all about shaving cream. We used our leftover shaving cream on Halloween too.
I can smell it now!
Thanks for the blast from the past, Maureen!
Posted by: Erin | October 30, 2009 at 05:16 PM
We dont have anything like that here in Nevada. Back in Michigan growing up it was "devils night" and it was a HUGE deal. Lots of trouble. Good post
Posted by: Erin@TheLocalsLoveIt | October 30, 2009 at 10:45 PM
LOL OMG Nair?? How mean is that! Yeah eggs, toilet paper, and flamming poo were the items of choice for our Michief Nights!! Or Postman's knock which was knocking and running away!
Posted by: Kirsty@Gone Bananas | October 31, 2009 at 12:23 PM
Oh My! I am sitting here shuddering because my son, his girlfriend and my baby grand daughter just moved to Michigan! They are down near Ann Arbor. I sure hope they are OK. Now I need to go and call them!
In my neighborhood, one of the largest in my town, we are one of the main destinations for all the kids who live out in the country or in smaller developements. They load up their cars and they all start descending on us around 5 pm. We CANNOT buy enough candy to last the whole night. No matter how many bags we buy, we always run out before the last few teenagers start showing up around 9 pm.
Alot of our neighsbors do not participate. I guess they can't afford it, or are too old or cranky to be bothered. So there are alot of houses with all the lights out on our street.
We enjoy it, though. We love to sit outside, have a few drinks and make all the kids pose so we can take photos of them.
Great post, BTW. I love how you inspired all this chatter!
Posted by: Ginger | October 31, 2009 at 12:33 PM
I guess I won't go to Detroit at Halloween.
We are too laid-back in SoCal for such mischief-at least I'm assuming that's it since I haven't heard of Mischief night.
Posted by: Jenn @ Juggling Life | October 31, 2009 at 01:29 PM
Wow, cabbage night.. never heard of that one! They did mischief night where I grew up but I'm not sure about here.
Posted by: Casey | November 02, 2009 at 10:19 AM
Taylor (17) mentioned Mischief Night...I'd forgotten all about it. He'd been concerned with checking outside first thing in the morning to make sure we hadn't been "egged"....we were all clear.
Although we've heard of it, I think everyone's on the lookout for kids trying to pull it off...makes it harder on them! That Nair-story is scary stuff! It would make me stay in!
Posted by: kathryn | November 02, 2009 at 09:24 PM