This last weekend was BONFIRE weekend!!! Actually its is a day (November 5th), not a weekend, and is as big as Thankgiving weekend in Canada. (Without the turkey dinner) It is supposed to commemorate Guy Fawkes, a man who tried to blow up the English parliment (this is the story I am getting from the students), why he wanted to do it, nobody seems to know. The weekend doesn't celebrate Guy Fawkes but rather that he was caught and killed. (Here in England they don't celebrate their revolutionaries, but their capture, torture, and death)
To celebrate, people hold bonfires and let off firecrackers on Nov 5th (Monday evening) But this has turned into a weekend celebration where you can have a bonfire any night of the weekend and let off firecrackers all night long for about 4 nights. There is food and drink and lots of good company. All day long I have been asked if I am going to a bonfire tonight, and the answer is YES!!! It seems the British thing to do.
Anyone in the UK can buy fireworks (over 16 yrs of age) and they have been selling them by the truck load. Now, many people have complained about the nights of endless firecrackers, scaring their pets and small children, but from my view out the front window it has been a smorgisborg of sound and color. On Saturday night, I could see at least 30 different locations where firecrackers were being lit. It was very COOL.
So if you read this today, have a bonfire, raise at toast to the demise of Guy Fawkes. The man who almost destroyed the British parliment.
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My new car
Hopefully it wil last the year!!
3 comments:
Too funny Alison. I was just commenting to Darrell about Guy Fawkes day but couldn't quite remember what it was he did or rather didn't do. He hates it when I can't tell him the full story. I come online to check and there you are blogging about it!
Glad to hear more about your trip to Italy. I'm so jealous! We are so happy you are having an awesome time over there and glad to see that you aren't so "alone" in your travels! We miss you!
as i recall guy fawkes was a catholic trying to blow up the protestant king (or vice versa) on a visit to parliament. The catholics (or protestants) celebrate the fact that someone tried to blow up the nasty king, the protestants (or catholics) celebrate the fact the someone tortured a catholic (or protestant). The whole catholic protestant thing yo-yod a lot back then.
Ask Mr Mathews, he's mr history.
Hi Alison. Did you ask Mr. Mathews about Guy Fawkes? Was he Catholic or Protestant? Rob has me wondering. Good to see you're participating in all this English culture. Keep Smiling...Mom (Mum)
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