By: Tania Machorro
Punky Night lands on October’s last Thursday. It is a Somerset tradition, although it is almost certainly linked with Halloween given that similar traditions can be found across the West Country.
Sometime in the Middle Ages, all the men of Hinton St George went off to a fair. When they failed to return that evening, the women went looking for them by the light of punkies. Punky is another name given to a pumpkin that has been hollowed out and has a candle standing inside it.
Traditionally on this night, children in the South of England carve their ‘Punkies‘ into Jack-O’-Lanterns. The streets of Hinton St. George are lit by the light of these Punkies. Once carved, the children go out in groups and march through the streets, singing traditional ‘punky’ songs, calling in at friendly houses, and competing against rival groups they meet along to see who has the best lantern.
Nowadays on Punky Night, local Somerset children join a procession through the village streets, swinging their homemade lanterns and going house to house, singing traditional ‘punky’ songs and sometimes getting a few pennies at the front doors.
It’s Punky Night, tonight,
Give us a candle, give us a light.
It’s Punky Night, tonight.
It’s Punky Night, tonight,
It’s Punky Night, tonight,
Adam and Eve, wouldn’t believe
It’s Punky Night, tonight.