Saint Mark's Eve. According to English folklore, the ghost of all men, women, and children destined to pass away in the next year can be seen floating by on this night by any person brave enough to spend the night awake on the front porch of the church. However, if a person was unfortunate enough to fall asleep during the vigil, or if he failed to repeat it annually for the remainder of his life, he would never wake up the next morning.