moving night n Also move night esp Baltimore MD Cf mischief night n
A night near Halloween, usu the night before, when children remove and hide loose items from around houses and often play other pranks.
1895 Lewisburg Jrl. (PA) [8 Nov] 8/1, The boys had lots of fun on Halloween night. One night was not enough to satisfy them. The first night they said was “corn night” the next “moving night,” that was fun. 1920 Sun (Baltimore MD) 31 Oct 9/4, “Moving Night,” as the eve of Halloween is called by the younger element and which is observed by carrying off the property of others, is believed to be partly responsible for the arrests. 1922 Lebanon Daily News (PA) 31 Oct 3/3, “Moving Night” has also been cast into the discard. Time was when half the porches and chairs left out could be found next morning at all sorts of unheard of places, and when buggies were put on barn roofs and other pranks indulged in.1935 Sun (Baltimore MD) 29 Oct 4/2 (Hench Coll.), Tomorrow, they [=schoolchildren] will observe “moving night.” . . Everything that is movable—from a back gate to a flower pot—will be in danger of being transported to a neighboring yard. 1941 Ibid 31 Oct 8/3 (Hench Coll.), [Headline:] Police Kept Busy For Halloween—Gates, Ashcans, Steps Take Flight As “Move Night” Celebrators Call. . . On “move night” Junior’s imagination—and energy—is boundless, it seems. . . [T]he Police Department . . can attest to that. Soaped windows, disappearing back gates and front steps, doorbell ringing, and upset, torn-down or smashed everything(s) kept them on the jump. That was last night. 1992 DARE File Baltimore MD (as of c1920), The night before Halloween was called moving night. Children roamed the neighborhood for an hour or two after supper looking for porch furniture and other portable objects. Those that we found we carried off and deposited on porches or in yards several doors away or even in the next block. 2005 in 2017 DARE File—Internet Baltimore MD, Re: Cabbage Night. . . I’m from Baltimore, MD, and here we all call it Moving Night (not sure why). Its funny, cuz everyone in Baltimore calls it that, but i dont think anyone outside of Baltimore does. 2014 Ibid cMD, Night before Halloween. . . We also call it Moving Night, central Maryland reporting in.