Remember, remember the 5th of November... and so I will. On the 5th of November me and my children went to view the fireworks in Crystal Palace Park.
The night started off with spectators filing in through the
gate. People of all ages, standing, talking, playing laughing and rejoicing.
The sound was harmonious. It made me feel at home. It made me warm and tingly,
like Christmas had already arrived. Even though it was 5 degrees outside, I
felt as if I was in the hot summer sun. Eating candy, popcorn, burgers,
hotdogs, any food I saw, I bought. As you know, bonfire night only comes once a
year. But what were all these people actually doing here? What was I doing
here? What is the true definition of bonfire night and why are we all so eager
to go and celebrate it?
Well, bonfire night traditionally started on 5th of November
1605 in England when the infamous Guy Fawkes, a member of the Gunpowder Plot
was arrested while guarding explosives that had been hidden beneath the House
of Lords. The Gunpowder plot was a group of English Catholic priests who
planned the failed assassination attempt against King James I of England and VI
of Scotland. To cut the long story
short, they were all arrested and put to death. To celebrate the fact that King
James I survived the assassination attempted, people lit bonfires to remember
the day and months later, 5th November became an annual public day of
thanksgiving for the plot's failure.
Today, on Guy Fawkes Night, a stuffed effigy of Guy Fawkes
made by children is dragged around the streets with a rope tied round its neck
and beaten up by other children. Later in the night, huge bonfires are lit in
public parks with fireworks displays and funfairs for children, music and
merrymaking goes on into the night.
Pictures coming here when I get back form BONFIRE NIGHT...
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