Nickanan Night (sometimes called Hall Monday or Peasen Monday) is a
Cornish feast, traditionally held during
Shrovetide, specifically on
Shrove Monday
Shrove Monday (also known as Collopy Monday, Rose Monday, Merry Monday or Hall Monday) is part of the Shrovetide or Carnival observances and celebrations of the week before Lent, following Quinquagesima or Shrove Sunday and preceding Shrove Tuesd ...
.
Sometimes called roguery night in West
Cornwall
Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...
, England, UK, this event was an excuse for local youths to undertake acts of minor
vandalism
Vandalism is the action involving deliberate destruction of or damage to public or private property.
The term includes property damage, such as graffiti and defacement directed towards any property without permission of the owner. The t ...
and play practical jokes on neighbours and family. The name Nickanan may come from the practice of knocking on doors and running away which is known as
Nicky nicky nine doors in some parts of the English-speaking world. The eating of
pea soup and salt bacon was also associated with this date.
19th century description
In the 19th century,
Thomas Quiller Couch described Nickanan Night:
Traditional rhymes
The following rhyme was used by the Cornish children during the evening and the following day
Shrove Tuesday
Shrove Tuesday (also known as Pancake Tuesday or Pancake Day) is the final day of Shrovetide, which marks the end of the pre-Lenten season. Lent begins the following day with Ash Wednesday. Shrove Tuesday is observed in many Christian state, Ch ...
:
In
St Ives, this was:
Trigg meat
In coastal communities, it was also traditional to gather shell fish such as
limpets,
mussels
Mussel () is the common name used for members of several families of bivalve molluscs, from saltwater and freshwater habitats. These groups have in common a shell whose outline is elongated and asymmetrical compared with other edible clams, whic ...
and
winkles. This practice was known as 'going a triggin' and the produce gathered known as 'trigg meat'. This is still practised at
Easter
Easter, also called Pascha ( Aramaic: פַּסְחָא , ''paskha''; Greek: πάσχα, ''páskha'') or Resurrection Sunday, is a Christian festival and cultural holiday commemorating the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, described in t ...
by people living close to the
Helford River.
Jack o' Lent
During this 'Nickanan' period, another custom prevailed throughout Cornwall. In some villages, it was usual to make a '
Jack o' Lent,' a straw figure dressed not unlike a
Guy Fawkes Night
Guy Fawkes Night, also known as Guy Fawkes Day, Bonfire Night and Fireworks Night, is an annual commemoration list of minor secular observances#November, observed on 5 November, primarily in Great Britain, involving bonfires and firewor ...
effigy. This Jack o' Lent was paraded through local communities and pelted with projectiles and then burned on a
bonfire
A bonfire is a large and controlled outdoor fire, used for waste disposal or as part of a religious feast, such as Saint John's Eve.
Etymology
The earliest attestations date to the late 15th century, with the Catholicon Anglicum spelling i ...
.
[Courtney. M. A. ''Cornish Feasts and Feasten Customs''] This practice was common in
Polperro until the late 19th century. Fire rituals such as those associated with the Jack o' Lent may also indicate Celtic pagan origins and may be closely related to the
Imbolc
Imbolc or Imbolg (), also called Saint Brigid's Day (; ; ), is a Gaels, Gaelic traditional festival on 1 February. It marks the beginning of Spring (season), spring, and in Christianity, it is the calendar of saints, feast day of Brigid of Kild ...
festival.
Hurling
The popularity of
Cornish Hurling
Hurling () is an outdoor team game played only in Cornwall, England, played with a small silver ball. While the sport shares its name with the Irish game of hurling, the two sports are completely different.
Once played widely in Cornwall, the ...
during the 'Nickanan' season indicates similarity to St. Ives feast and other festivities near
Candlemas
Candlemas, also known as the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus Christ, the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, or the Feast of the Holy Encounter, is a Christian holiday, Christian feast day commemorating the presentation of ...
. The 'Hurling of the silver ball' at
St Columb Major still occurs during the run up to Lent.
References
See also
*
Chewidden Thursday
*
Tom Bawcock's Eve
*
Picrous Day
*
Golowan
{{Culture of Cornwall
February observances
Culture of Cornwall
Carnivals in the United Kingdom
Unofficial observances
Festivals in Cornwall
Lent
Cornish festivals
Holidays based on the date of Easter