[1] Sometimes called roguery night in West Cornwall, England, UK, this event was an excuse for local youths to undertake acts of minor vandalism and play practical jokes on neighbours and family.
In the 19th century, Thomas Quiller Couch described Nickanan Night: On the day termed Hall Monday, which precedes Shrove Tuesday, about the dusk of the evening, it is the custom for boys, and, in some cases, for those who are above the age of boys, to prowl about the streets with short clubs, and to knock loudly at every door, running off to escape detection on the slightest sign of a motion within.
The time when this is practised is called 'Nicka-nan night' and the individuals concerned are supposed to represent some imps of darkness, that seize on and expose unguarded moments.The following rhyme was used by the Cornish children during the evening and the following day Shrove Tuesday: Nicka nicka nan Give me some pancake, and then I'll be gone But if you give me none I'll throw a great stone And down your door shall come.
In some villages, it was usual to make a 'Jack o' Lent,' a straw figure dressed not unlike a Guy Fawkes Night effigy.
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 festival.