Greatbritannia Blog

“Remember remember the fifth of November, gunpowder, treason and plot.”
“

Penny for the Guy.”

Bonfires, the guy, firework displays, sparklers, toffee apples and hot-dogs…

Watch an episode of This is Britain to find out about Bonfire night.

Fawkes may have been the man charged with lighting the fuse to the gunpowder in the Parlieament (i.e. Palace of Westminster), however, he was no boss at all. The number of plotters was 13, probably led by Robert Catesby and Thomas Wintour (they were cousins), who had supported Catholic rebellions before.
Because of this, Catesby was under suspicion and unable to gain entry to the Palace of Westminster so he needed help. Fawkes, one of the 13 conspirators, was probably the one who put the 36 barrels of gunpowder on a cart and carried it underground in order to explode the building with King James inside.

The Palace of Westminster was a completely different building (or a set of buildings) back in 1605 since commoners (i.e. the public) were allowed to enter without any security check. They went to the pubs (restaurants) there as well as attended the courts of King’s Bench and Common Pleas. The plotters rented a coal cellar right underneath the Lord’s Chamber and no one noticed the growing number of barrels and amount of wood there.

The plot was investigated when a baron had received an anonymus letter which also landed in the king’s hands. James I ordered for another serch in the cellars where the gunpowder was found.
The plotters tried to flee, Fawkes’s comrades fled from London to Warwickshire and broke into the fortress while it was undergoing repairs. There, the fugitives stole a wealth of supplies, including horses from the stables which they used to escape, however, they were captured not far from Warwick on 6 November.

After being captured, the plotters were hanged, drawned and quartered. The body parts were displayed all over the country.

Why Bonfire Night?

It was King James I who encouraged Londoners to build and light huge bonfires to celebrate the survival of the monarchy and Protestantism.

How about the tradition of Guy Fawkes Day and Bonfire Night in the 21st century?

The traditions are changing, moreover – and sadly -, disappearing. Halloween’s big business on 31 October seems to win (i.e. trick-o-treating over Penny for the Guy), and as a result of really strict regulations on bonfires, fireworks and fireworks safety, neither towns nor individuals can afford firework displays…

Part of the parades on Bonfire Night, in Ottery St Mary (Devon), seventeen tar barrels on fire are carried by crazy competitors who are watched by thousands of spectators.

The custom is over 300 years old but nobody really knows where it originates from, but there is a popular version that says, “Streets must be cleaned from evil spirits and fires of the devil carried away”.

Each of Ottery’s pubs sponsors a single barrel which is soaked in tar for several weeks before the event on 5 November. The barrels are lit outside the pubs, and once the flames begin to pour out, they are hoisted up onto local people’s backs and shoulders.

There are women’s and boy’s competitions during the day, but the professionals (strong men) come at night and carry barrels up to over 30 kilos.

It is an incredible night to remember – one of the biggest bonfires in the South West is ignited on the banks of the River Otter and behind it are the flashing neon’s of the annual fun fair.

GR8 to Know
“Tar” is distilled from wood or coal, is sticky when it is hot, and is used in road making.

Called dipavali (“row of lights”) in Sanskrit, the largest religious festival of the Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and some Buddhist groups is celebrated all over Britain. There is no exact date for Diwali, this festival season begins in mid-October and lasts for a month.

It includes parades in streets, firework displays and other shows that include light symbolize the triumph of good (light) over evil (darkness).

Since one of the largest Hindu and Sikh community in Britain lives in Leicester, the city in the East Midlands organises one of the top Diwalis in the U.K.
London has several events for Diwali (Trafalgar Square Diwali being the largest, but other important events are held in Wembley Park and in Greenwich Park, too), but Edinburgh, Belfast, Liverpool and other major cities, moreover, smaller towns have taken Diwali on the list of their yearly festivals.

With a close relation to Halloween, Punky (or Punkie) Night is a tradition in Somerset, the south-west of England.
On this night, children carry “punkies” (= lanters) made of swedes* from house to house and sing or chant “Give me a candle, give me a light. If you don’t, you’ll get a fright!”

GR8 to Know

A swede is a yellow-orange root vegetable that is similar to carrots and turnips, but fairly larger. It has many names, the Scots calls it neep, American English rutabaga, while snagger or white turnip is also a common name for it (especially in the North.)

No one really knows where the tradition of Punky Night comes from. One belief goes that men who were returning home from the fields on dark autumn evening used to carry lanterns made of these turnip-like vegetables (the swedes).

Punky Night is celebrated on the last Thursday of October all over Somerset (this years its 31 October i.e. on the same day as Halloween).