• Dr. Bob
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    9 months ago

    Wtf is a “Seven o’clock man”? I’ve lived in Canada most of my life (5 provinces and counting), and in Uni lived with a couple people doing folklore degrees. The fact that I’ve never heard of our national Boogie man tells me they’re reaching.

    Googled it. French-Canadian story dating from 19th century maybe.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. And the article was American.

    • paddirn@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      Sounds like a really lazy way for parents to make sure their kids are back home before it gets too late, from the generations that didn’t have to care where their kids were at all hours of the day. Just make up some dumb shit like, “Be back before dark or the Seven O’Clock Man will get you!” and other than that they don’t give a shit what the kid does the rest of the day.

    • olicvb
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      9 months ago

      Am French-Canadian raised, i remember the Seven o’clock man. It was used as a bedtime rule, something about being in bed before 7 or the man gets you. Never heard it in english tho, it was always “Bonhomme sept heures”.

      • Dr. Bob
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        9 months ago

        That would make sense. It has a modern feel to it too - clocks weren’t a common household item until the last 150 years or so.