Pope Night Rolls In Again

It’s time for my yearly pointer to the “5th of November in Boston” online exhibit I assembled for the Bostonian Society. Not just because that calendar date is coming up, but because this colonial American celebration is also the foundation of a holiday that will arrive even sooner.

Outlandish costumes, bonfires, children going door to door begging for treats, even pumpkin lanterns—all those traditions have their roots in the raucous political celebration that New Englanders called “Pope Night.”