The earliest known reference to Mischief Night is from England in 1790. A school play, written by the school's headmaster, ends with a poem called "Ode to Fun" in praise of Mischief Night pranks. Mischief Night activities used to take place on the evening before May Day, as they still do in Germany, but shifted to the evening before Guy Fawkes Night during the 19th century, a time when many people in England moved from rural areas to the expanding cities as a result of the Industrial Revolution. It has been suggested that May Day, a holiday which celebrates the coming of spring and the return of greenery, meant little to children living in grimy cities who decided instead to attach the tradition to a holiday which had more relevance to them. British immigrants imported the Mischief Night t