The Night Before Halloween

[PirateLover]

I just read an article that claims that "mischief night" is primarily a New Jersey-area idea and term. So, of course, I had to poll Intercot. What do you call the night before Halloween?

*For those who don't even know what I'm talking about, in this area, on mischief night, the local youths go around making trouble. You might have your house TP'd or egged, car written on with soap or shaving cream, and lately it's become more of a pain with kids smashing all the pumpkins on display outside of houses and even doing real property damage. Cops are typically out in larger numbers and many towns have issued curfews to prevent trouble.*

[cer]

This year, we call it Wednesday.....

No "mischief night."

[Strmchsr]

Never heard of it. Definitely not anything done in the South.

[Fangorn]

Never heard of it. Definitely not anything done in the South.

Nor in the West

Steve

[Melanie]

Yep, it's just the night before Halloween.

[rjmdds]

I've lived in NJ all of my life and Mischief Night it is! Since I was a kid in the '70's it's been all about the things you've mentioned. Our parents never allowed us to go out because nothing good ever came out of it. As you said, there were always more cops out and about. We would always wake up with either eggs or soap on some of the neighborhood cars. Now I take my kids out to TP a couple of their friend's houses but that's it. I guess I am making up for lost time.

[Disney4us2]

I chose other. Growing up in the Chicago suburbs, we went trick or treating the night before Halloween. We called it beggars night. I loved it and we switched into a different costume on Halloween and went back to the houses with the "good" candy...ie chocolate and not dum dum's..

When we moved to California, they never heard of it.

Happy Halloween

[buzznwoodysmom]

Never heard the night before Halloween called anything.

I would kill my kids if they did some of this mischief you speak of!

[faline]

I chose other. Growing up in the Chicago suburbs, we went trick or treating the night before Halloween. We called it beggars night.

When I lived in New Hampshire, it was called Little Beggar's Night but that is the only night that the kids went Trick or Treating - they didn't repeat on Halloween itself.

[SBETigg]

I chose other. Growing up in the Chicago suburbs, we went trick or treating the night before Halloween. We called it beggars night. I loved it and we switched into a different costume on Halloween and went back to the houses with the "good" candy...ie chocolate and not dum dum's..

When we moved to California, they never heard of it.

Happy Halloween

That's right! I was thinking, um, nothing, but this reminds me that when I was a kid in Massachusetts, it was Beggar's Night. And it was not cool in my neighborhood to go out on Beggar's Night. Unless collecting for UNICEF, we had a lot of UNICEF trick-or-treaters on that night. Most everyone did their trick-or-treating on Halloween.

[PirateLover]

Consider yourselves lucky if you've never heard of it! As a kid I was a silent observer for one or two... my friends never got too out of hand but it still never felt right. I was a goody two shoes
Hopefully there's no mischief here tonight!

[SBETigg]

Consider yourselves lucky if you've never heard of it! As a kid I was a silent observer for one or two... my friends never got too out of hand but it still never felt right. I was a goody two shoes
Hopefully there's no mischief here tonight!

You could dress as a grumpy old woman and stand outside yelling "You punk kids get off my lawn!" It would be fun. For me to imagine. Maybe not as fun for you in the cold.

[Disney4us2]

That's right! I was thinking, um, nothing, but this reminds me that when I was a kid in Massachusetts, it was Beggar's Night. And it was not cool in my neighborhood to go out on Beggar's Night. Unless collecting for UNICEF, we had a lot of UNICEF trick-or-treaters on that night. Most everyone did their trick-or-treating on Halloween.

Sherri, For us it was all about the candy...lol We did get a lot of come back tomorrow's but did get some candy.

[KylesMom]

Marci, they were talking about Beggar's Night on one of the Chicago radio stations this morning - but I've never heard of any of the hyjinx listed in the poll!

[SBETigg]

Sherri, For us it was all about the candy...lol We did get a lot of come back tomorrow's but did get some candy.

As long as it paid off.

[Scar]

I had no clue it was only a New Jersey thing.

[PirateLover]

Happy to report there was no mischief done to our property. Two houses on the block were TP'd. That was the extent of what I saw.

Scar, I know. I was pretty surprised!