In the UK, November 5th is affectionately known as either Bonfire Night or Guy Fawkes Night. It commemorates the so-called Gun Powder Plot, a failed attempt to blow up Parliament over 400 years ago.
On this day I always think back to the evening I spent witnessing the dramatic, fire-filled celebrations that take place around the streets of Lewes in Southern England…
Remember, remember, the Fifth of November,
The Gunpowder Treason and Plot,
I know of no reason
Why Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot.
Barrels about to roll on Cliffe High Street, Lewes
Last Thursday was Halloween. In North America, where I now live, it’s a huge deal. But in Britain, where parts of Halloween actually originated, it’s completely overshadowed by another celebration: Bonfire Night, or Guy Fawkes Night.
Here come the crosses…
The short version of the story behind Bonfire Night goes something like this… In 1605, a group of men plotted to assassinate King James during the Opening of Parliament on November 5th, by blowing up the House of Lords in London. But the plan was foiled when, at midnight on November 4th, 36 barrels of gunpowder were discovered in the cellars beneath Parliament, along with the man in charge of them, Guy…
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