Here in the states we have a blend of cultural traditions from all over the world.

I guess some of the traditions I enjoy are backyard cookouts ( used to celebrate everything from birthdays, family reunions and holidays like the 4th of July ) and I used to love to celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day because if you didn’t wear green you got pinched and I used to love to hand out those pinches.

Beyond the fact I knew you were supposed to wear green and you could get pinched if you didn’t, I didn’t know much about Saint Patrick’s day- which is pretty much just a reason to drink around these parts.

Like Americans need one of those, lol.

The one tradition that I think we made our own here in the States was Halloween.

Halloween is a very big deal here- every year someone finds something to add to the mix ( the way we rolled in Día de los Muertos being one- which you know really has nothing to do with Halloween in and of itself ) but Halloween has grown because of the traditions that people from other cultures have  added to it.

I’m fine with that. There is way more to do to celebrate Halloween then when I was a kid.

It’s just not only about candy and masks now.

I remember my Grandparents telling me about Mischief Night.

Mischief Night was a night when kids pulled pranks and practical jokes. In North America, it falls on October 30 (the night before Halloween) and is sometimes called Devil’s Night.

I got the feeling that my Grandpa indulged in Mischief Night, but he never gave me the specifics because I’m sure he thought I’d have run out and bedevil  my neighbors ( and he was right about that ).

Over the years I’ve spend many hours imagining what he and his friends did on Mischief Night and I think a lot about it up to Halloween. Some of those ideas worked their way into some of my Halloween stories.

So I guess that among the cultural traditions ( and there are oh so many ) I have one of my own, don’t I?