Date Published 04 November 2022
It's that time of year again. The summer is well a truly behind us, the nights are drawing in and the days are getting shorter. Halloween is over and we are now on the run up to Christmas…. But before we start getting out our Christmas decorations, we have one more event that every household in the UK looks forward to every year. Yes, it is Guy Fawkes Night also known as Bonfire Night.
On this evening, homes across the UK celebrate with bonfires and fireworks. Effigies get set alight and some people even dress up!
Why do we do this?
So the story goes, in the early 1600's, There was a group of men who were angry over the persecution of their faith in England and when things did not improve under the new King, the men came up with a plot to kill him. The plan was that during the State Opening of Parliament on 5th November, they would blow up the Houses of Parliament, killing the King and all his men. They decided to smuggle 36 barrels of gunpowder into an underground cellar so that they were in prime position to blow the roof off as the ceremony started. But two hours before the barrels were due to blow, the ringleader, Guy Fawkes, was caught red-handed by the King's men. Guy Fawkes was tortured for two days at the Tower of London until he gave up the group. He was due to be hung, drawn, and quartered but just before, Fawkes jumped from the platform and broke his own neck. The public hanging still went ahead as planned and the four severed parts of his body were sent around the country as a warning.
Westminster still search the underground cellars every year before the State Opening…..
