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We didn't when I was a kid 40-cough years ago, but they do now. We had Mischief Night instead, on November 4th. It was a North of England tradition (well, Yorkshire and Lancashire, anyway). You played simple practical jokes. I think the favoured one was knocking on doors and running away. There was no demanding of treats involved.

Wot larks, eh? We had simple pleasures in those days. If it's observed now it's too frequently used as an excuse for petty and not-so-petty vandalism.

November 5th is Bonfire Night, still celebrated in England. It commemorates Guy Fawkes' attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament. Bonfires are lit in gardens and public spaces up and down the land, and the air quality takes a huge dip for that week. Lots of fireworks are set off. Children are encouraged to go to large public firework displays, rather than conducting experiments with bangers in tins, as my brothers and I used to do. Looking back, it's amazing that I never knew anyone who'd lost fingers.

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Ah, now, where I grew up in Lancashire, we didn't have mischief night, but there was the tradition of Cob Coaling instead. Originally cadging coal and wood for the bonfire, it had degenerated into begging for money (ostensibly for fireworks, frequently spent down the chippy). There's a song to go with it and everything ... will ask mum next time we speak whether it still goes on, but i bet it does.