5th November - Guy Fawkes Day
By Advisor. Filed in Florida |
One important date in the British calendar is 5th November: Guy Fawkes Day. The event is celebrated to commemorate a foiled plot to overthrow the government by blowing up the houses of parliament. Guy Fawkes was the leader of the band which hatched the plot.Guy Fawkes and his men planned to bomb the houses of parliament and kill the then King of England, King James I.Guy Fawkes and his men were caught red handed trying to execute one of their plans. Thus, in Britain, the event is celebrated each year.
Guy Fawkes History
The plot of this foiled gun powder incident can be in detail seen in the motion picture V for Vendetta that actually made the premise of the entire plot more interesting and brought to focus the entire nature of such an act. The punishment for the conspirators was to be hanged, drawn and quartered - in other words killed for the crime of Treason. Despite being killed for the conspiracy, Guy Fawkes was still held to be something of a visionary and inspirational character; having convinced other people of his reasoning to blow up the houses of parliament. The plot itself is what’s remembered, and is commemorated in a well-known childrens poem.
Guy Fawkes Day Customs and Activities
The celebration for this event generally occurs in the form of fireworks and festivities. Massive bonfires are also lit in towns across Britain.Apart from being celebrated in the British mainland, the festival has its followers in older British colonies of Canada, South Africa and also Australia where until the late 1970’s the festival was celebrated with much fanfare.
Because of a ban on fireworks, Barbuda and Antigua no longer celebrate Guy Fawkes Day.In Canada, the festival has a lot of following especially in the British occupied areas of Newfoundland and Labrador. When the parties begin at night, the air is usually rich with the smell of smoke and fire. England naturally puts on the large displays! It’s not unusual to see people on the street celebrating, and big fireworks displays put on to mark the event. Despite the event occuring over 400 years ago, the event is still celebrated this day.
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