November 1, 2007
Bonfire Night in the UK
It may seem a strange thing to celebrate, but every November 5th, people in the UK remember the exploits of a certain Guy Fawkes, who unsuccessfully tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament back in 1605. Some say he was the only person ever to enter Parliament with honest intentions! If you are reading this in the UK, you or your children may well be making last minute plans for an event that’s celebrated almost as enthusiastically as Christmas or Halloween.
Festivities usually take the form of a bonfire and fireworks and if you happen to be in Britain on November 5th, a visit to a bonfire night celebration is an experience not to be missed. You can find bonfires today all over Britain, from the smallest village to the largest city, but the largest and most famous celebrations are held every year in the town of Lewes, East Sussex, about 50 miles south of London.
The town even has different bonfire societies that try to outdo each other with their bonfires, fireworks and fancy dress competitions. Huge effigies of Guy Fawkes are carried through the town by thousands of people wielding burning torches, turning the streets into rivers of flame.
In addition to the usual bonfire, the town of Bridgewater in Somerset, in the southwest of England hosts a huge carnival and nighttime procession through the town – calling itself the largest illuminated carnival in the world.
Not to be outdone, London also hosts a series of spectacular bonfires in its many parks and open spaces every November 5th. One of the best fireworks displays takes place at Alexandra Palace, a huge Victorian structure which offers spectacular views over north London. As well as watching fireworks, you can listen to live music and sample an ice rink and an inside funfair.
Today, you can still see the place where Guy Fawkes was executed by hanging, in the Old Palace yard adjoining the Palace of Westminster – ironically just a few yards from where he intended to hide and detonate tons of explosive. The adjoining medieval Westminster Hall is one of the few parts of the Palace of Westminster that remains unchanged since that day and is still free to visit.
And today – over 400 years later - the Palace guards still search the cellars of the Houses of Parliament before every state opening of Parliament to make sure there are no explosives hidden there – although hopefully this routine is carried out as a quaint tradition rather than an actual deterrent!
Guest entry by Mancunian
Posted by James Trotta at November 1, 2007 4:45 PM | TrackBack