Bonfire Night

Remember, Remember the fifth of November.

Every November the 5th is Bonfire Night in the UK.  Towns put on big bonfires and have firework displays.  In America, our big fireworks display is on July 4th where we celebrate our freedom and the signing of the Declaration of Independence.  In the UK, bonfire night is a celebration of an execution of a man who tried to blow up Parliament and King James I. 

For my first bonfire night I went up to Hunstanton, which is on the coast of the North Sea.  They were putting on a little festival for the occassion on the cliffs (which made for a chilly evening, but with a scarf and hat, it was fine).  They had a few rides and of course several food vendors.  However, this festival was about half the size of one you would find in America.

Normally, I don't do rides at these things.  When I was a kid, my Dad never let me go on the rides because he thought they were unsafe.  While I didn't understand that then, I totally agree now!  However, I love carosels, so since they had one, I had to ride it!

Off to the side of the rides and food they had a big area fenced off with a rather large pile of wood in the middle for the bonfire.  What I didn't notice until after the fire had been lit was that there was stuffed man on the pile.  Yes, every year the Birtish burn a man in effigy.  Here is one of the photos that I was able to get of the "guy" as the fire reached him.  Not the best photo, but hopefully you can make it out.

A bit of a history lesson as to why they do this every November 5th. 

After Queen Elizabeth I died in 1603, English Catholics who had been persecuted hoped that her successor, Jame I, would be more tolerant of the religion.  That didn't happen.  And because that didn't happen, 13 young men thought a violent action would be the answer.

In what became known as the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, these 13 young men got ahold of 36 barrels of gunpowder and stored them in a cellar, just under the House of Lords.  Their plan was to kill the King, maybe the Prince of Wales and the Members of Parliament.

At some point, a few of the young men started having second thoughts about the plan.  They were worried about innocent people being hurt or killed.  Rumor has it that one of them wrote a letter to a friend, warning him to stay away from Parliament.  The warning letter some how reached the King.

The King sent his men out to stop this from happening.  In the early hours of November 5th, one of the young men, Guy Fawkes, was found in the cellar of the Parilament with the 36 barrels of gunpowder.  Guy was caught, tortured and executed.

When the Plot was foiled, bonfires were set alight to celebrate the safety of the King.

As a result of The Gunpowder Plot the reigning monarch only enters Parliament once a year on what is called "the State Opening of Parliament."  Prior to the Opening, the Yeomen of the Guard searches the cellars of the Palace of Westminster.  This is still praticed today.

Followed by the bonfire are the fireworks.  And of course the ooh's and aww's.