Punkie Night

Give me a candle, give me a light. If you don't, you'll get a fright.

On the last Thursday of October, the children of Hinton St George carry lanterns carved from mangel-wurzels, called punkies, round the village singing that it is Punkie Night. The story goes that the men of the village went to Chiselborough Fair and drank too much to find their way home. Their wives hollowed out mangolds, put candles inside, and went out into the dark to fetch them. The children's song begs for a candle, and one version warns of a fright if you refuse. After the parade the best lanterns are judged in the village hall.