Remember Remember the 5th of November

Nothing quite says fall like a crisp, cold evening, bundled up in boots and gloves, raging bonfire, hot drinks, a fireworks display and the slightly barbaric burning of an effigy 17th century Catholic traitor...

Guy Fawkes

You probably had no idea, but it's that time of year - Bonfire Night, otherwise known as Guy Fawkes night.  That special time of year when the Brits come together to celebrate the failed assassination attempt of the King in 1605 by lighting bonfires, burning a "guy" on top of it, lighting some fireworks and eating  treacle toffee and baked potatoes.

Molasses-flavored candy - maybe it's better at Hogwarts...

 

The story is actually pretty interesting - Guy Fawkes was a member of a group of Catholics who disapproved of the Protestant King James (that would be number 1) and plotted to kill him by blowing up the House of Lords in Parliament, in order to reinstate a Catholic monarchy.  

What?  Me?  Nothing! 

During the so-called "Gunpowder Plot", Fawkes was in charge of keeping watch over the stockpile of gunpowder hidden underneath the building and he was caught red-handed, arrested, tortured, sentenced to death, and jumped from the stockade, breaking his neck, so as to avoid being drawn and quartered , his planned means of execution.  Smart guy.  (For anyone needing an explanation for this particular execution style, click here:  How to Hang, Draw and Quarter  (Warning, it ain't pretty).

They sure don't execute them like they used to...

Anyway, so the English have, every year since then, celebrated the King's near miss by pledging to "Remember remember the 5th of November".  Kids make effigies (called a "guy") and everyone gets together to burn him "alive".

Poor guy.  

My friend Jess invited me to join her and her friends in the celebration.  She lives in Bramhall (pronounced Bram-ill), a very nice suburb of Manchester.  We met her friends in the town center, where there was a field and a big bonfire, loads of people and families, a small carnival for the kids.  The fireworks display was fantastic (probably because we were so close - I'm used to 4th of July fireworks which you're lucky to see sitting on the hood of your car 15 miles away).  Anyway, her friends brought whisky and a treat called treacle toffee (which I had never heard of except from Harry Potter - Harry loves Treacle Tart - unabashed HP fans click here: Harry's Favorite Treats).  It's basically molasses flavored candy.  Not spectacular, but they were pretty excited about it, so I  pretended.  Ha.  

Anyway, after the show we traipsed back in the mud and the cold to Jess's house where she had a traditional Bonfire Night dinner made - beef stew and baked potatoes.  Then we lit sparklers, which seemed strange to do in the cold with gloves on!  And drank lots of wine.  All in all, a really fun night and an interesting glimpse into British culture - their version of a harvest-season celebration that signals the beginnings of the holidays.  Just no turkey, football, days off work or massive shopping spree the day after...

And V for Vendetta makes a little more sense...