Guy Fawkes Night, also known as Bonfire Night, Fireworks Night, or simply by the date- the 5th of November, is a Britain-wide celebration remembering the treasonous act attempted by Guy Fawkes and his co-conspirators.
Born in England in 1570, conspirator Guy Fawkes was executed in 1606 for attempting to blow up the English Parliament building in what came to be known as the Gunpowder Plot. In a time when his religious beliefs weren’t allowed by law, Fawkes and a group of other Catholic conspirators, looking to overthrow the current Protestant regime, had planted at least 20 barrels of gunpowder under the building prior to the attempted attack. He failed. And now we set off fireworks to commemorate that he didn’t explode the government and the monarch.
Since the failed Guy Fawkes’ plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament, people across the country have celebrated Bonfire Night on November 5th. In Scotland, this night was once a time of rowdy and raucous festivities - described as an evening of “prankish fun” - it is now a night of community wide celebration and wholesome fun, despite its more sinister origins.
One Scottish tradition was the burning of Guy Fawkes. Effigies of Guy were made across the country, usually consisting of a jacket and trousers stuffed with straw. They would often then be wheeled around towns while the owners shouted “penny for a Guy” with the money raised going towards buying fireworks.
Guy would then be placed on top of the roaring bonfire.
Sources used in this article:
https://www.biography.com/people/guy-fawkes-9292436
https://www.scotsman.com/lifestyle/in-pictures-bonfire-night-in-scotland-1-3938555
Thanks for the history of my family it helps me identify with myself and the way I act. I think everyone should connect with there beginning no matter the level of status they represent so enlightening to know.