Mischief Night
If you are not from the East Coast, you most likely don’t know about this major holiday that is celebrated throughout my hometown in New Jersey, Mischief Night.
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What is mischief night?
It’s the night before Halloween, October 30th. Revenge seeking citizens go out and create mischief on other people. One of the most well-known stunts to pull on mischief night is covering a target’s house with toilet paper during the dark hours of the night.Â
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Isn’t this Illegal?
As long as you keep it clean, you won’t be in trouble. A harmless prank like toilet papering someone’s house is not a criminal offense. However, throwing eggs at cars or permanently vandalizing any property could get you into some serious trouble with the authorities.Â
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How can I avoid this happening to me?
If you do not live on the East Coast, odds are this is new for you. There is no need to worry, most people will not experience any of this. But, some advice for you if you don’t want any shenanigans going down at your house is to play guard dog on your property. My dad used to wait outside our house with a hose ready to spray any kids that would come around on Mischief Night.
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What is Devil’s Night then?
There are many other names for Mischief night in different parts of the country. “Devils Night” is what they call it in the Northeast part of the US and “Goosey Night” is used in places like New York and New Jersey. The name “Cabbage Night” came from Canada and is now used in the Northeast region as well. However, it is not very well-known in the western part of the USA.Â
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What is the point of all of this?
It is just a great way to get yourself hyped for Halloween. It’s no longer socially acceptable to trick-or-treat. Yet, this is an excellent alternative to take back the excitement of Halloween that age has taken away. Get your all-black fit ready; it’s game time. Make Halloween Great Again.Â