With Bonfire night coming up, everyone’s wrapping up warm and getting ready to watch a display of fireworks and bonfires. But why do we celebrate this cold night towards the end of the year.?
As the poem goes, ‘Remember Remember the fifth of November, gunpowder, treason and plot. I see no reason why gunpowder treason should ever be forgot’. But 400 years later, not many of us remember why we celebrate it.
Bonfire night also known as ‘Guy Fawkes night’ celebrates a day long ago in 1605 on … you guessed it, November 5th (In the early hours) when Guy Fawkes was arrested after guarding explosives that were put under the Houses of parliament in an attempt to kill King James I, over throw him and replace him with a catholic ruler.
In thanks that the king had survived his assassination, people of London lit bonfires on the evening of November 5th. Since then, every year onwards it was still celebrated with people putting on effigies of Guy Fawkes and the Pope in an act of hostility towards them.
Children used to make effigies and go from door to door begging ‘a penny for the Guy’ and using this money to buy fireworks.
Today people still burn effigies of Guy Fawkes and the Pope on the bonfires (with the odd politician or public figure thrown in too) and light fireworks to celebrate the night.
So go out, have fun and keep warm this bonfire night – now you know what it’s all about. But remember to stay safe and have some common sense when it comes to fire.
