baked potatoes
bonfire night
fireworks
guy fawkes
penny for the guy
the gunpowder plot
toffee apples
Remember, Remember....
By Darkwing
@Darkwing (21583)
November 6, 2007 7:55am CST
... the fifth of November,
The gunpowder, treason and plot,
I know of no reason
Why Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot.
Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes,
t'was his intent
To blow up King and Parli'ment.
Part of a traditional poem regarding the Gunpowder Plot of the 5th of November 1605 when a number of Roman Catholic conspirators, including Guy Fawkes, attempted to blow up the Houses of Parliament. Guy Fawkes was born in York, and became the most famous of the group of conspirators when the plot was foiled and he captured.
Ever since that day, we have celebrated Guy Fawkes/Bonfire Night on 5th November, making effigies of Guy Fawkes and burning them on bonfires throughout the country, accompanied by celebratory firework displays. Before the 5th, children traditionally display the effigies they've made, called "Guys" requesting a "penny for the guy" in order to raise funds with which to buy fireworks.
So, what's going to happen to this tradition when the Government, in their wisdom, ban bonfires, because to my mind, the whole celebration will lose its meaning. Another part of history will become insignificant and the fun of participating, for the children will be gone... another tradition is one of foodstuffs for the night. Potatoes are often wrapped in tin foil and baked in the hot embers of the fire. There will be no more of that.
Toffee apples are also a food feature of the celebrations, together with hot dogs and hot soup and bread. Ok, they could stay, and perhaps be available at firework displays but it saddens me that the bonfires will be lost.
Part of the fun was collecting wood, cardboard, newspapers and fallen leaves and building the bonfire. We used to have a communial one on the big green between all the houses where I grew up.
What are your thoughts on all this... are our children, or our children's children going to miss out on this celebratory part of history? I dread to think what the World's coming to. Most of my pagan celebrations involve fires too, so even more tradition goes to the wall!
Does your country have traditions whereby a bonfire is lit in celebration and do you think these should be banned together with the burning of garden and household rubbish?
1 person likes this
3 responses
@Lakota12 (42600)
• United States
6 Nov 07
Why after all these years should they stop that aprt of the celibration?
thats just awfull its not like ya have dry timber alround there with all the rain you have had.
and I am sure some one stands by to watch it so it dosent get out of control
Now I understand here where we have a drought and cant do fireworks on the forth although alot of poeple do but it is always supervised with some one to make sure nothing goes wrong and starts a fire some where.
When we lived in Louisianna they would build big big bonfire towers to burn CHristmas eve. ( didnt find out why they did it) but the one with the biggest and best tower won a prize they built them up on the levies up and down the Mississippi River and what a sight to behold. Not sure if they still do it or not would be ashime if they dont for it was so fun to go watch it.
1 person likes this
@Darkwing (21583)
•
6 Nov 07
The Christmas Eve customs in Louisianna sound interesting my friend. It's probably some Native tradition regarding the strengthening of light and the Sun, towards new beginnings in Spring, because from the 21st December, the days begin to get longer and lighter again. Either that, or it's to ward of the bad spirits of Wintr. I would love to see it... I would imagine it looks great all along the river. I'm going to look it up in a sec. he he he.
No, the reason they're being banned here is to do with lessening air pollution, like the smoking ban. A small drop in a great big ocean, I'm afraid. They'd have to stop all transport, aerosols, etc and go back to primitive times to save the Earth! Which brings me back to pylons and which I'll skip. lol.
Brightest Blessings my dear friend. xx
@Darkwing (21583)
•
6 Nov 07
Well, my friend, I've been and looked up the Louisiana, Christmas Eve fires along the river levees.
It's said to be a French tradition, started during the mid 1800s, when the fires were lit to welcome Pere Noel, or Santa, to Louisiana. My imagination ran away with me there somewhere, I guess! lol. But that's what it says. I have a picture here... I guess the fires act as runway lights, in a row like that. he he.
Brightest Blessings.
@Lakota12 (42600)
• United States
6 Nov 07
that very well could be for that part is very very cajun people a mix of French and Indian they have her voodoo and all kinds of thing go on in the buyous .Dont want to get to close there unless you have a very very good friend with connections!
awwwwww the green thing its getting to be like a green monster isnt it lol and thanks for not going there again hugs and blessings
@GardenGerty (169448)
• United States
8 Nov 07
I have heard of Guy Fawkes Day, but never have had quite so thorough an explanation. In fact the one social studies book I remember sort of lumped it in with Halloween.I am glad to learn about it finally in my older age. So are you saying that all bonfires have been banned where you live? We have some restrictions about uncontained fires, but we can have our barbecue, or use a pit at the park, a fire ring at a lake. Some people have a fire enclosure called a chiminea (I do), or a fire pit that is usually some kind of metal and is part of your back yard furnishings. Probably too tame, huh?
1 person likes this
@Darkwing (21583)
•
11 Nov 07
Hmmmm, I could have sworn I answered this a day or two ago. The Mylot Ghostie is on the prowl again, by the looks of it! :)
It's strange that Guy Fawkes Day, or night was lumped in with Halloween. It has nothing to do with it apart from the fact that Guy Fawkes was born in York, and they have ghost hunts there, so Halloween is a big thing in the city.
The bonfires haven't been banned yet but they're about to be, and the good old English Government is not banning barbecues, is it... as if they're not just as toxic with the smell of burning paraffin lighters... no, instead, take a guess at what they're talking about doing? They reckon they're going to tax barbecue users. ha ha ha.
Oh well... if they were as intelligent as us, they'd realise how ludicrous some of their decisions are. Another thing is this Green Tax... for approximately two weeks, politicians left their cars at home and cycled into the House of Lords... yes, it lasted about two weeks before they were back in their cars polluting the air again. So much for Green Tax!!! lol.
Brightest Blessings, my friend.
@xfahctor (14113)
• Lancaster, New Hampshire
6 Nov 07
If I want to have a bonfire here, all I need to do is go down to my local fire department and get a permit (it's free), they just want to know where they are happening in case they gotta come and take care of any emergencies that may arise from it. As long as all I am burning is plain, clean, unpainted or stained wood, or no plywood/partical board etc, it's no problem. There have been a few occaisions when it was too dry and they had put a hold on any fire permits.
1 person likes this
@Darkwing (21583)
•
6 Nov 07
That sounds reasonable enough to me, and it's never too dry here. We rarely have fires apart from in the depths of a very long, hot, dry summer, and even then, we don't get many.
This is an ecological thing, my friend. I'm hoping that they'll waive the law on Bonfire night. If they do ban it completely as indeed, they're trying to stop fireworks, then that's one celebration night completely gone! It's a long-standing tradition which will be sorely missed, I'm afraid, and after all, it IS to celebrate the government's foiling of the blowing up of the Houses of Parliament, so fingers crossed, eh?
Brightest Blessings.
