Guy Fawkes Night, or Bonfire Night as we now call it, is one of Britain’s very strange traditions and has no meaning to any country other than its own.
So what is Bonfire Night?
Simply put, Bonfire Night is held on November 5th, when each community lights a huge bonfire and destroys part of the park. Local children make human-shaped dummies, tie them to chairs and burn them in bonfires.
Does that sound strange?…It is.
We also make fools of ourselves by having piles of fireworks and sparklers, eating toffee apples and cotton candy, and ‘jumping for apples’.
I said that was weird.
FYI – In Bobbing for Apples, you have to pick up apples using only your teeth. It’s an apple floating in a bucket of water, which is quite impossible but very fun to watch.
Why did Bonfire Night start?
Bonfire Night dates back to 1605 (thanks Wikipedia). At this time, a man named Guy Fawkes was arrested for guarding the gunpowder pile beneath the House of Lords. Guy planned to kill the King, and now our patriotic people, knowingly or not, are celebrating the fact that the King survived.
There’s always an exciting yet dangerous energy to Bonfire Night celebrations. It’s not just fires and less professional fireworks displays that add to the dangerous atmosphere. I mean everyone is allowed to go out for the night and do whatever they want after the kids have consumed buckets of sugar, but it feels a little bit like a pagan ritual.
Fire is a strange thing that attracts people and fascinates them like a hypnotist. It must be the caveman instinct that fascinates us so much and allows us to stare into a fire all day long.
What am I going to do?
We’ll be heading to Battersea Park to watch a spectacular fireworks display and gather around a huge bonfire.
I’ll be posting photos on Facebook, so please check out my page!