It's Punkie Night tonight!

The event will see a procession of several dozen children holding aloft candle-lit lanterns leave St George's Hall at the entrance to the village at 6.45pm in the evening.

The children will process around the village streets singing the age-old Punkie Night chant of "Give us a candle, give us a light; it's Punkie Night tonight"

This unique folkloric celebration of Halloween or All Souls' Night has been held in the village for centuries.

It is said that the particular feature of carrying lanterns, originally carved from mangel-wurzels, a large animal fodder beet, and containing candles, is in remembrance of a misty autumn night many years ago when Hinton wives, concerned at the overdue return of their menfolk from Chisleborough Fair, set out to find them carrying such lanterns.

The men took fright at seeing the line of flickering lights approaching through the mist believing the ghostly apparitions to be Punkies - the souls of unbaptized children.

'Punkie' is also a local term for the luminous emissions of marsh gas that can sometimes be seen in damp, low-lying areas.

Upon the return of the procession to St George's Hall, all the children's lanterns, nowadays often made from the more readily available pumpkin, will be suspended from a line inside the Hall for judging.

This year's judges are long-time villagers Alwyn Gillard and Audrey Gillard.

The judges will be looking for originality and skill in execution of the carved lanterns and checking that the carved features, made by cutting away the outer skin of the vegetables do not pierce the inner skin which would lessen the ghostly effect of the candle-light.

The winners in the different age groups will be awarded prizes.

The committee organising this annual event has been re-vitalised under the leadership of Veronica Voss.