The name Hoke Day is believed by some to come from the German word for a "high day": hock. Other sources claim that the name actually comes from the German word: hocken, which refers to "attack, sieze and bind".
Some authorities have made the claim that Hoke Day commemorated the driving of the Danes out of England by King Ethelred. King Ethelred ordered a general massacre of all Danish men in the land, which massacre took place on 13 November 1002. The people of Great Britain celebrated that event as St. Brice's Day in November. So the theories that they set aside this day as "Hoc Day" or "Hoc Tuesday" to celebrate the driving out of the Danes is pointless.
Hoke Tide comprised both, the Monday and the Tuesday of the second week after Easter. Hoke Monday was for the men, and Hoke Tusday was for the women, and, apparently, neither had anything to do with the Danes being driven from England.
The days of Hoketide were devoted to the members of one sex attacking members of the other sex for the purpose of extorting money from them. The money was then donated to the local parish church.
