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November 5th

November 5th is celebrated in the UK as the day Guy Fawkes tried to blow up the houses of parliament, but failed. However Some of the English have been known to wonder whether they are celebrating Fawkes' execution or honouring his attempt to do away with the government. :)-

In 1605, Guido Fawkes and a group of conspirators attempted to blow up the Houses of Parliament. After Queen Elizabeth I died in 1603, English Catholics who had had a rough time under her reign had hoped that her successor, James I, would be more tolerant of their religion. Alas, he was not, and this angered a number of young men who decided that violent action was the answer.

One young man in particular, Robert Catesby suggested to some close friends that the thing to do was to blow up the Houses of Parliament. In doing so, they would kill the King, maybe even the Prince of Wales, and the Members of Parliament who were making life difficult for the Catholics.

To carry out their plan, the conspirators got hold of 36 barrels of gunpowder and stored them in a cellar, just under the House of Lords. But as the group worked on the plot, it became clear that some innocent people would get hurt or killed in the attack. Some of the plotters started having second thoughts. It was said that one of the group members even sent an anonymous letter warning his friend, Lord Monteagle, to stay away from the Parliament on November 5th

Others believe that the letter was fabricated and the king already new about the plot and one of the plotters in fact revealed the key points of the plot to the authorities. The suspected turncoat was Francis Tresham.

There are two problems with this letter.

• Firstly, the letter was unsigned, any of the conspirators, once caught, might have saved themselves from torture and perhaps even death if they could claim to have written it. None did. Not one of the conspirators who was caught appears to have known about the letter.

• Secondly, the letter was very vague in its content. It said nothing about the details of the planned attack. Still, the king and his men knew exactly where and when to catch the conspirators and stop the explosion just hours before it was to take place.

Guy Fawkes, who was in the cellar of the parliament with the 36 barrels of gunpowder when the authorities stormed it, in the early hours of November 5th, was caught, tortured and executed.

So there you have it :) today we celebrate November 5th by building large fires letting off fireworks and generally having a good time. Recently a new law has been passed in the UK, The ban on fireworks between 2300 and 0700 and is part of a range of measures introduced by the government to clamp down on anti-social behaviour. Exceptions have been made to the ban for major events such as New Year's Eve and bonfires on 5 November.

Light up the sky with "standard" fireworks, well that's what the television ad use to say, standard was a well known company for fireworks, over the years fireworks have got more and more dangerous, in fact they banned the "jumping jack" many years ago. Then we started to get fireworks from China, they are real fireworks :) just with a few of those and you really could blow up parliament. However a lot of people got injured with them.

We use to sing some songs

Remember the 5th of November
Remember, remember the fifth of November
Gunpowder, treason and plot.
I see no reason why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot.
Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes,
'Twas his intent
To blow up the King and the Parliament.
Three score barrels of powder below,
Poor old England to overthrow.
By God's providence he was catched
With a dark lantern and burning match.
Holloa boys, holloa boys,
God save the King!
Hip hip hooray!
Hip hip hooray!
A penny loaf to feed ol' Pope.
A farthing cheese to choke him.
A pint of beer to rinse it down.
A faggot of sticks to burn him.
Burn him in a tub of tar.
Burn him like a blazing star.
Burn his body from his head.
Then we'll say ol' Pope is dead.
Hip hip hooray!
Hip hip hooray!
And another song
Rumour, rumour, pump and derry,
Prick his heart and burn his body,
And send his soul to Purgatory.
And yet another
Hurrah for our bonfire,
Oh, pile it up high,
For tonight...yes tonight...
When it blazes up bright
A traitor must die!
How he'll crackle and burn,
Our jolly old Guy!
In the middle we'll throw him,
No mercy we'll show him,
The traitor must die!
Go, old Ragamuffin,
Don't stop to ask why,
You know that the reason
Was Gunpowder Treason!
So, burn till you die!

Yes I know what your thinking, barbaric lot the British :) well most kids sang these songs and didn't really have a clue what they meant, it was just a song to sing on November 5th. There are many more than those few chants, I remember a few only. I also made my own fireworks out of.. well that would be telling..

Yet another British tradition slowly disappearing

Anyway, you too can celibate this tradition with us, on November 5th we still all have a party, make hotdogs (Sausage in a roll) let off fireworks, and sometimes dress up in costumes. In early years we use to make up a Guy out of old clothing, and stuff him in paper, then drag him around the streets asking politely for a "penny for the guy" :) I use to get a lot of money :) Then later the guy would be placed on top of the bonfire and then set alight.... Run.... they were very large fires !!!