5 November, 2005 | Leave a Comment
Tonight is Bonfire Night, the 5th of November celebration in which the Brits commemorate the failure of Guy Fawkes and his cronies to blow up parliament on its opening day. The Gunpowder Plot (as it’s known) would have wiped out King James I and lots of other bigwigs, sending the nation into chaos and anarchy and despair. And no, before you get the wrong idea, Fawkes was not part of Al-Qaeda. This event took place back in 1605 and this year marks the 400th anniversary.
On the 5th of November, Britons light bonfires, set off fireworks and burn Guy Fawkes in effigy. I never knew much about the origins of Bonfire Night – I just assumed every nation needed an excuse to set off fireworks at least once a year, and given how many nations celebrate their independence from Britain in such a way, it’s only fair the Brits themselves get to have a little fun.
Upon further investigation, however, Guy Fawkes and Bonfire Night have become much more interesting. BBC columnist David Cannadine can explain it better than me (he also mentions Trafalgar Day in this excerpt, which falls on 21st October and marks Nelson’s victory):
In fact, the Gunpowder Plot was a close-run thing. The conspirators, who were Roman Catholics, wanted to blow up parliament on the day of the state opening, with the aim of assassinating King James I, who’d been less sympathetic to the Catholic cause than they’d expected.
They planned to replace James by his daughter, Princess Elizabeth, who they hoped would be a more malleable and a more Catholic queen. Had they succeeded, England might have become a Catholic nation once more, and members of the Church of England would have been distinctly thin on the ground.
…skipping ahead…
The Gunpowder Plot was a foiled Catholic conspiracy, and during the 17th Century, it was the pope, rather than Guy Fawkes, who was often burned in effigy. And the Battle of Trafalgar was fought against France and Spain, our nation’s two hereditary enemies, which for much of their histories were both despotic and Catholic regimes.
For many Britons, then, both Trafalgar Day and Guy Fawkes Day were national events to celebrate our Protestant patriotism, and it was that re-affirmation of our collective identity which gave them their long-lasting appeal.
It’s probably needless to point out that Bonfire Night pisses off Catholics. And the columnist I just quoted gripes that the quintessentially British Bonfire Night is being eclipsed by the increasingly popular American version of Halloween, which of course falls only a few days before. The latter holiday involves free candy, so really, it’s no surprise.
Last night when I was walking along Russell Square, I saw a gorgeous fireworks display coming from somewhere in central London. An early celebration, apparently. I have no plans to go out tonight because it’s cold and rainy and dark and I want to stay home and read. But I hope everyone has a smashing good time!
Anglofille said @ 5:06 pm | london & uk, religion |
