Remember, remember....

...the 5th of November. Gunpowder, Treason and Plot!

I love Bonfire Night, the fireworks and the fires. It's so much fun; almost an extension of Halloween celebrations with a slightly different twist to it.

As a English girl born and raised I have to admit that the story behind today is odd, if not gruesome if you really think about it. On the one hand, it is an old thanksgiving celebration. Guy Fawkes and a group of Catholic followers attempted to blow up the Houses of Parliament and kill King James I, on the 5th November 1605. The idea was to replace King James with a Catholic monarch. Following the failed attempt, the day was marked as a day of Thanksgiving for the Kings survival and bonfires were allowed to be lit in celebration, hence Bonfire night. As you can imagine, Catholics suffered heavily for this and anti-Catholic laws were made even tighter. This was an England that was torn by religion. For years, Catholics and Protestants fought for control over the country.

The conspirators

On another hand, we celebrate the death of the ring-leader of the group of wanna-be assassins, Guy Fawkes. Convicted of high treason, he and 3 of his fellow conspirators were sentenced to death by being hung, drawn and quartered outside the very buildings they planned to blow up. They were hung until nearly dead then disembolwed while still alive, castrated, beheaded and chopped into pieces, their body parts displayed on spikes around London as a warning to other would-be trouble makers! Guy managed to escape the 'drawing' part of the execution as he jumped from the Gallows and broke his neck....some would say he was lucky! 

To this day, children and families build 'Guys', effigies of Guy Fawkes, to burn on the bonfire to mark the occasion. Over the next few weeks, fireworks will be heard and fires will be built and watched in commemoration of this day. I am going to the display in Whiteparish where my parents live next Saturday to eat hot dogs, jacket spuds and toffee apples and watch some amazing fireworks.  Thankfully the negative connotations of this day are gone now and it's a chance to get together with friends and family, wrap up warm and have some good old-fashioned fun.