Friday, November 18, 2016

Bonfire Night

While I was looking forward to Halloween, most Brits were gearing up for Bonfire Night (or Guy Fawke's Day) which falls on the 5th of November. Per Wikipedia, Its history begins with the events of 5 November 1605, when Guy Fawkes, a member of the Gunpowder Plot, was arrested while guarding explosives the plotters had placed beneath the House of Lords. Celebrating the fact that King James I had survived the attempt on his life, people lit bonfires around London, and months later the introduction of the Observance of 5th November Act enforced an annual public day of thanksgiving for the plot's failure.

Today, the holiday is celebrated with bonfires and fireworks in parks, pubs and community centres all over the city. We walked to some fireworks in our little neighbourhood of Bradley Stokes. No bonfire, but they did have some very nice fireworks. It was a little strange to be watching them with warm coat, hat and mittens but they were nice all the same.





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