Punkie Night
Encyclopedia
Punkie Night is an English custom practiced on the last Thursday of October, in Somerset
in England
. Children will march around with a jack o'lantern, singing a song which goes :
There are some variants of this old rhyme which also include these lines:
"Give me a candle, give me a light
If you don't, you'll get a fright"
or alternatively:
"Give me a candle give me light
If you haven't a candle, a penny's all right"
(Cooper & Sullivan, 1994).
As Cooper and Sullivan (1994) explain, this relates to the tradition where children would beg for candles on this night, and threaten people who refused to give them anything (compare the custom of Trick or Treat
). Cooper and Sullivan also explain how a
Punkie King and a Punkie Queen would typically lead the proceedings.
. Men who would come back late from the fair would often need candles as lights to guide them home, in late October, which, as Cooper and Sullivan explain, would lead either to women making a jack o'lantern for their husbands, or men making the jack o'lantern, according to different versions of story.
Morrell explains how, in earlier times, farmers would put a traditional "Punkie" on their gates to ward off evil spirits at this time of year.
The festival has been celebrated at various sites including Castle Neroche
in the Blackdown Hills
, Long Sutton
and, more commonly, at Hinton St George
and the neighbouring village of Lopen
.
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. Children will march around with a jack o'lantern, singing a song which goes :
It's Punkie Night tonight
It's Punkie Night tonight
Adam and Eve would not believe
It's Punkie Night tonight
There are some variants of this old rhyme which also include these lines:
"Give me a candle, give me a light
If you don't, you'll get a fright"
or alternatively:
"Give me a candle give me light
If you haven't a candle, a penny's all right"
(Cooper & Sullivan, 1994).
As Cooper and Sullivan (1994) explain, this relates to the tradition where children would beg for candles on this night, and threaten people who refused to give them anything (compare the custom of Trick or Treat
Trick or Treat
Trick or Treat is a 1952 American animated short film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures. The cartoon, which takes place on Halloween night, follows a series of pranks between Donald Duck and his nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie who are aided by Witch Hazel...
). Cooper and Sullivan also explain how a
Punkie King and a Punkie Queen would typically lead the proceedings.
Origins of the custom
No one knows how the custom originated, although it is almost certainly linked with Hallowe'en. As Morrell (1977) explains, the word "Punkie" is an old English name for a lantern, and jack o'lanterns for Punkie Night may be made of swedes or mangel-wurzels rather than pumpkins. An alternative explanation of the term is that it is derived from pumpkin or punk, meaning tinder. Cooper and Sullivan (1994) attribute the custom's origins to a fair which was at one time held at ChiselboroughChiselborough
Chiselborough is a village situated on the river Parrett west of Yeovil in Somerset, England. The village has a population of 335.The village consists largely of small cottages built in the local golden hamstone quarried at the local Ham Hill.-History:...
. Men who would come back late from the fair would often need candles as lights to guide them home, in late October, which, as Cooper and Sullivan explain, would lead either to women making a jack o'lantern for their husbands, or men making the jack o'lantern, according to different versions of story.
Morrell explains how, in earlier times, farmers would put a traditional "Punkie" on their gates to ward off evil spirits at this time of year.
The festival has been celebrated at various sites including Castle Neroche
Castle Neroche
Castle Neroche is a Norman motte-and-bailey castle on the site of an earlier hill fort in the parish of Curland, near Staple Fitzpaine, Somerset, England. It is a Scheduled Ancient Monument.-Location:...
in the Blackdown Hills
Blackdown Hills
The Blackdown Hills are a range of hills along the Somerset-Devon border in south-western England, which were designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in 1991....
, Long Sutton
Long Sutton, Somerset
Long Sutton is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated south of Somerton in the South Somerset district. The village has a population of 862....
and, more commonly, at Hinton St George
Hinton St George
Hinton St George is a village and parish in Somerset, England, situated outside of Crewkerne, south west of Yeovil in the South Somerset district. The village has a population of 404....
and the neighbouring village of Lopen
Lopen
Lopen is a village and civil parish in the English county of Somerset, situated eight miles west of Yeovil in the South Somerset district. The village has a population of 248.-History:The name of the village means Lufa's pen or fold....
.