Borrowed from Wikipedia...Traditionally known as Bonfire Night, Guy Fawkes Night is an annual celebration (but not a public holiday) on the evening of the 5th of November primarily in the United Kingdom, but also in former British colonies New Zealand, S.A. vigo, the island of Newfoundland (Canada), parts of the British Caribbean including the Bahamas, and to some extent by their nationals abroad. Bonfire Night was common in Australia until the 1980s, but it was held on the Queen's Birthday long weekend in June. It celebrates the foiling of the Gunpowder Plot in which a group of Catholic conspirators, led by one Robert Catesby, and including Guy Fawkes, attempted to blow up the Houses of Parliament in Westminster on the evening of 5 November 1605, when the Protestant James I of England (James VI of Scotland), his eldest sons, and the majority of the English Parliament were within its walls. The conspirators were later tortured and executed.
The celebrations, which in the United Kingdom take place in towns and villages across the country, involve fireworks displays and the building of bonfires, on which "guys", or dummies, representing Guy Fawkes, the most infamous of the conspirators, are traditionally burnt. Before the fifth, children traditionally used the "guys" to beg for money with the chant "Penny for the guy", although this is now rarely seen. In recent years the night is becoming increasingly known as "Guy Fawkes Night". (For more on Guy Fawkes/Bonfire Night go HERE, interesting stuff in the pop culture references section)
Anyway, the reason for the educational info about bonfire night is due to the fact that next weekend I will be traveling to Manchester to hang with my friend Craig and will be celebrating my first ever Bonfire Night at a bonfire party! There will be plenty of sparklers, fireworks and wine for everyone! I'm really looking forward to this and will hopefully have nice shiny new pictures to share!
5 comments:
Yup, yup true story.... Before I came to America I used to be a part of this every year.....
Well cept they seemed to have spiced it up because we didn't have the big fireworks and jazz but that's cool.... I love sparklers for sure. Have lots of fun of course.
:-)
Alcohol and Explosives. One couldnt ask for a better combination! Oh wait theres a fire too?
Sounds like fun, although weird. Have a grand ol' time! BTW, I have now joined your ranks... I have glasses! Turns out I have had blurred vision and headaches not from staring at a computer for 8-10 hours a day, but b/c I am half blind in my right eye! Okay, not half blind but almost!!
I sent you a package and I got it back in the mail today... I'm not sure why but Jeremy just told me about it. :( I will probably be making a trip to the post office tonight.
erin-
that is so sad! i wonder why?? i have gotten other packages just fine! did you put united kingdom on there? that's so strange!
wait to you see the new post...
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