Younger kids are called out into the countryside to“hunt snipe.”They are supposed to hunt them on a moonless night. The victims are given canvas sacks to catch the birds, while the conspirators use lanterns to scare them. The conspirators make bird calls from behind bushes and rocks and immediately shout“Snipe!”to make the newcomers believe there really are birds. The newcomers don't want to be the only ones who don't see birds, and they claim to see them too. Pretty soon the victims convince each other that they are surrounded by snipes, and start foolishly scurrying around looking for non-existent birds.“Dude, there they are, can't you see them?”The conspirators assure them that they have just seen snipes behind those cacti over there, or by the lake, or in a thorny thicket, and send the victim there to catch them in a given bag. Often the newcomers are then left alone, and the joke ends there, to be repeated next year, when the deceived become initiated into the practical joke and lead the younger ones to catch the non-existent snipe themselves. (free translation from urbandictionary.com)
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