As a complete stranger, does Guy Fawkes Night mean anything to you all nowadays ?

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ThrowawaySpaceRaptor@reddit

Guy Fawkes is sort of like Ronald McDonald, he is the mascot for the whole thing but I don't think about him when I go to get my burger unless someone is toting about an unsettling effigy of him.

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Kiss_It_Goodbyeee@reddit

We don't even celebrate the revolution, for example.

What on earth is Bastille Day, then?! You do celebrate the revolution on the 14th July every year and the Champs-Elysees parade is always on TV.

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Llanistarade@reddit (OP)

I guess, but nowadays it's largely it's own thing, the national day, the revolution isn't present in symbols or any rite like the burning of Fawkes.

It's more the republic day that was set on the Bastille fall anniversary, but it's not "bastille day".

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purply_otter@reddit

That's like bonfire night though? All about fireworks and most people don't burn a effigy of Fawkes anymore (dependant on location but it's not most)

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Llanistarade@reddit (OP)

Yeah, that's what I wanted to know and what all people said in their answers, one way or another !

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ukheather@reddit

It’s a stupid event that people use as an excuse to set fireworks off night and day(!) for weeks. Hate the whole thing.

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Only-Weird-4519@reddit

Meanwhile in Lewes...

https://youtu.be/Fcecvnlgu8E?si=3vWLd_8Njzv17MlP

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I live up the road from it, not going this year. Police are panicking about “serious overcrowding”. I have two fears; being crushed to death in a crowd, and being trapped in fire. Didn’t consider a scenario where both could happen until now 😂

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Fenrir-The-Wolf@reddit

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Station_nightclub_fire?wprov=sfla1

Reasonable fear, ngl.

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Ok-Professor-6549@reddit

I last went in 2008 and even then that's the closest I've been to being a bit panicky with the amount of people pressing into me. Lewes really is a vibe of it's own

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Delicious_Bag1209@reddit

New fear unlocked.

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RomeoJullietWiskey@reddit

Lewes is THE definitive bonfire night celebration.

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LowBrowsing@reddit

Bridgewater probably has a shout - they have a Guy Fawkes statue and celebrate the start of the Somerset Carnival by throwing bangers / firecrackers about with gay abandon to celebrate him.

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kale_i_do_scope@reddit

The entire of East Sussex goes hard into bonfire celebrations, literally like a month and a half of every Saturday a bonfire happening weekend. It's great.

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WarmTransportation35@reddit

The Green party looking in distraught of the polution they are trying to stop

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tjw376@reddit

Season starts at the beginning of September and ends at the end of November. You can have 2 or 3 mini Lewes type celebrations happening each weekend. Battle always used to be my favorite to watch as a spectator and Lewes is unbelievable to take part in.

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kale_i_do_scope@reddit

I grew up in Battle and it's still my favourite holiday. And no one else really gets it.

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dobbynobson@reddit

I get it (it marks my birthday so was always exciting) - one of the perks of living in East Sussex now is the endless bonfires and fireworks. It's great!

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FaithlessnessEast55@reddit

Bonfire night is a lot more prominent in Sussex than anywhere else. Didn’t really realise that until I went to uni. We have a much larger historical basis for it

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PriorityByLaw@reddit

I love it.

Goes from start of September to end of November.

r/unitedkingdom on the other hand hates it! Had a few ding dongs about it this morning.

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RomeoJullietWiskey@reddit

Live stream: https://www.youtube.com/live/GIIgcHGJUgw?si=DkkXZkCZpeEk0kJr

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thombthumb84@reddit

They really don’t like catholics do they!

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TheLastDesperado@reddit

Obviously it started with genuine malice, but I feel these days it's just still there because of tradition.

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caniuserealname@reddit

He hasn't really meant anything to anyone for a long time. He's basically just the "character" that goes along with bon fire night.

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MrAnderson69uk@reddit

We burnt effigies of Guy, all the kids in schools were brought up making, or seeing a guy fawkes effigy burnt on a bonfire at some, and so it gets repeated, gen after gen, but maybe this youngest TikTok gen don’t don’t practical/manual constructive things like we used to!

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LittleSadRufus@reddit

I expect it only survived this far because it coincides with the bit of autumn where it's dark and cold, and getting out for a festival of toffee apples and sausages around a giant communal bonfire is just when the doctor ordered

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Ok_Donkey_1997@reddit

I'm originally from Ireland, and I have always felt like Bonfire Night is like people here in the UK took Halloween/Samhain, split it in half and moved the fire bit back a few days.

In case anyone isn't aware, In Ireland the bonfire happens at Halloween. Also, AFIK, this comes from Samhain practices that came to Ireland from Great Britain. (and when I say Ireland & GB, I am talking about the islands because it is long ago enough that I am not sure which kingdoms were in operation.)

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Dapper-Lab-9285@reddit

We have more than one bonefre night here though. Halloween is mostly in the cities, in rural areas they have bonfires on many different nights and don't do Halloween.

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LittleSadRufus@reddit

It seems a logical connection and I used to assume so, but it seems there's literally no evidence of a cultural connection (i.e. the communities that initiated bonfire night had no historical association with Samhain or its traditions), and it's just one of those weird little coincidences.

It's also funny that we have Mischief Night the day before (although some celebrate on 30 October now), and it feels like that must be linked to the "trick" of trick-or-treating ... But apparently not.

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Ok_Donkey_1997@reddit

the communities that initiated bonfire night had no historical association with Samhain or its traditions)

Which communities are these? I know that Samhain is associated with Ireland now, but it doesn't come from Ireland.

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LittleSadRufus@reddit

Samhain was developed by the ancient Celts in Ireland and perhaps Scotland, while Bonfire Night was developed by protestants in London who had no Celtic bonfire traditions. Celtic communities and traditions in London had been displaced by the Romans 1,500 years earlier.

Bonfire night took off because it was promoted by English politicians, senior church leaders and the land-owning elite who were keen to maintain anti-catholic sentiment in order to secure their powerbase. The traditions of Ireland were unlikely to be on their mind.

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Ok_Donkey_1997@reddit

Of course the Celts had been displaces, but lots of the "Christian" holidays and traditions in this part of the world are based on older practices. Had bonfires completely died out before the gunpowder plot.

Like I get that the actual plot happened on the 5th of November, but it's kind of wild that people decided to commemorate it with something so similar to an existing pagan practice that happens a few days before.

Of course, I could also believe that Samhain bonfires had died out in Ireland, and that once we split off from the UK, we decided that we would move Bonfire Night ahead a few days and call it something else.

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LittleSadRufus@reddit

I'm not a noted historian, but this is what noted historians assert.

There's also a lot of romanticism of the Celts and their influence over Christian festivals, which is something the Victorians particularly enjoyed (inventing histories rather than researching them). E.g. Easter may have its origins in celtic traditions, but the Victorians invented the idea that we have an Easter bunny because the celtic goddess Eostre had a hare as her familiar (zero evidence of this), and in fact many scholars suspect Eostre was entirely an invention of Bede anyway.

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penguinmoonbat@reddit

Where does it come from? Everything I've read indicates Celtic Ireland, I'd love to know more if there's an older connection!

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Ok_Donkey_1997@reddit

I have no idea where it comes from originally, but my understanding is that it came to Ireland from Wales, or maybe Scotland.

Samhain and Diwali happen very close to each other and they have a lot of similar themes. I am sure that this is mostly just coincidence, but my feeling is that people have been lighting fires around this time of year for a long, long time.

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Own_Art_2465@reddit

I also suspect a lot of bonfire night's celebration aspect originally came from Halloween and got mixed together

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Fantastic_Deer_3772@reddit

Wales' nos galan gaeaf has bonfires too!

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Ok_Donkey_1997@reddit

Yeah, my understanding is that the bonfires came from Wales or maybe Scotland, but that is kind of because Ireland was is on the Western fringe of Europe and "Celtic" traditions would have had to have come through these places first. I think the Celts started off in the place we now call Germany.

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Wood-Kern@reddit

I'm from Northern Ireland, at Guy Fawkes Night always just kinda seemed like England's version of our Halloween. Serves kinda the same purpose even if one has political origins and the other pagan origins.

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limpingdba@reddit

Some people just love lighting fires and blowing up drain pipes with cheap Chinese roman candles. I always loved the little bit of chaos our society is afforded for one night a year. But agree those cunts who do it for the 14 nights prior can fuck off

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voluotuousaardvark@reddit

I think we should at least enforce the treason bit.

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The_Blip@reddit

Yeah, needed a good autumn festival. Everyone's got one in some strange flavour.

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metalmick@reddit

One of the things I’ve never understood is that Guy Fawkes wasn’t the instigator of the plot. Robert Catesby was. Why was Guy Fawkes vilified (and more recently celebrated)?

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Antique_Ad4497@reddit

Because he was caught in the HoP with the gun powder. The others died or were arrested in the stand off when confronted.

Also we’re really celebrating the failure of the Catholics talking over the country more than anything also. In some places they still burn the cross as symbolism (yes, the KKK stole that idea).

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h00dman@reddit

You've been given some great answers but I'll add another; his fricking name is Guy Fawkes!

Guy!

Fawkes!

That's like Han Solo, Duke Nukem, or Max Power - it's a cool af name!

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Icy_Priority8075@reddit

Depressingly his name was not Guy. It was Guido.

It is one of the earliest examples of the British blaming their political problems on immigrants whilst the real culprits (rich barons) pId their way out of trouble.

Guido was illiterate and barely spoke the language. He was easy to blame and had zero supporters to defend him.

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Own_Art_2465@reddit

WTF Are are you talking about? He went to school near me in york?

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Icy_Priority8075@reddit

Apologies. I didn't make it up. There was a BBC podcast a couple of years ago which was presented as true. I can see from several links that he was British educated and apologise for representing something untrue as fact. I do not generally go around spouting 'nasty racist Britain' however in this instance I had listened to a good hour of presenters explaining that this was an example of racism. Again, sorry.

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Ooerrmissus@reddit

Nonsense Barely spoke the language? That will be news to his Alma Mater St Peters School in York.

He was from Yorkshire. His family still live here- interestingly the current Fawkes is also called Guy. Which is fun at parties.

wiki link

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Own_Art_2465@reddit

Yep he was to place the explosiv es and otherwise he had a bit of a reputation as a hard bastard able to get things done for these Catholic poshboys. He had been a mercenary in Flanders.

Hilariously when discovered he gave his name as John Johnson, so maybe not so able

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Substantial_Dust4258@reddit

For most of the last four hundred years they burned an effigy of the pope on the fire. Guido only replaced him about a century ago.

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purply_otter@reddit

He was the one who went to light the bombs He was the one caught red handed
The others names came up under later torture and investigation

He's just more remembered

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3Cogs@reddit

That harsh punishment must have worked though. He didn't do it again did he, eh?

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BoleynRose@reddit

He was caught with a 'suspicious amount of firewood' on the 4th and on the 5th in the early hours they found the gunpowder (:

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purply_otter@reddit

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Ok-Flamingo2801@reddit

Horrible histories is amazing

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Shoddy_Juice9144@reddit

Guy Fawkes isn’t celebrated, the fact he was caught is what is celebrated.

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No_Distribution_1876@reddit

I didn’t really acknowledge this until very recently… ha

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dcuffs@reddit

Because Guy Fawkes was the man on the ground who was going to light the fuse. He learnt all about using explosives fighting in Spain where he went by the Italian version of his name, "Guido". He got caught red handed, but was likely NOT one of the major conspirators.

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joethesaint@reddit

He also refused to name any of his co-conspirators despite lengthy torture and incarceration, so you can imagine it would have become a bit of a saga at the time and he was really making himself the figurehead of the thing.

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asthecrowruns@reddit

For me it’s the signatures. Any signature post-torture to be honest but still, his is the one that sticks in my mind. The sheer difference between his writing before, during, and after some of the torture is painful to look at. You can see him shaking almost when writing it

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metalmick@reddit

Interesting. Thanks

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LaSalsiccione@reddit

Because he faced a very public execution and Catesby didn’t

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derelictnomad@reddit

As a child I preferred bonfire night to christmas; it was just more fun. Easter was just a chocolate egg and some days off school. Getting older, Guy Fawkes strikes me as a hero we stopped celebrating.

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Sunkinthesand@reddit

The fuzzy mascot for the event that gets cremated

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voluotuousaardvark@reddit

It's an excuse to shoot fireworks

But I'd hope every Briton has a little burning desire to overthrow the government with one of two things.

Micro transgressions against their got or employers. (Stealing paperclips toilet paper etc also taking extra breaks/time theft)
An actual coup.

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MrAnderson69uk@reddit

Paying stupid money for any decent fireworks, nagging from kids to go on the funfair rides all day before the fireworks show, turning your lights, watching other people send their money up in smoke! Is it bah-humbug season yet???? Lol

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PikeyDCS@reddit

The irony of people celebrating this is too funny, but then why do people need a reason to blow stuff up and burn things? I find its a nice time to cuddle my shaking dog and tell her that without parliament we might not get it banned to supply explosives to teenagers under the flag of protecting democracy.

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LadyNajaGirl@reddit

I do wish there was more of a celebration - when I was a child we used to have a Bonfire and have a few fireworks. It was nice. Tonight, I may watch V for Vendetta to mark the occasion!

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Leeno234@reddit

Annual tradition is to watch V for vendetta!

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LadyNajaGirl@reddit

Yes!! The BEST movie! I’ve still got my autumnal decor around the house so it’s super cosy for V for Vendetta! 🍂🕯️

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Leeno234@reddit

It really is! I love the Val subplot

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Skinnybet@reddit

I’m 57 and remember making a Guy to go on the bonfire. And doing penny for the Guy. This doesn’t happen anymore.

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FrermitTheKog@reddit

I think it was an encouraged activity but increasing awareness of injuries to children and campaigning changed things. Year by year, more and more types of fireworks were banned and having your own fireworks night in the garden was discouraged. Also there is a greater awareness of the distress is causes animals.

I do have fond memories though; making the guy out of old jumpers and trousers stuffed with newspaper. The excitement of the box of fireworks (examining each one, sniffing it like it was some fine cigar). Then the bonfire, baked potatoes etc.

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h00dman@reddit

My family and I lived in Germany in the late 80s/early 90s in one of those post war British military overseas communities, and it was the last place I saw a really big Guy Fawkes night celebration.

Everyone in school made their own Guy to go on the bonfire, and on the night you could tell how many people had used balloons as heads because of the popping noises.

Since moving back to the UK in 1995 the bonfires were always much smaller, and eventually just stopped altogether.

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CourtneyLush@reddit

Yeah. I'm not much younger than you and the 'burning of the Guy' was the main event when I was younger. The fireworks were just the build up to it.

You'd end the night by all marching down to the bonfire to chuck the Guy on it. Looking back on it, it was like some weird, autumnal Conga.

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newtonbase@reddit

I'm 52 and I can't remember the last bonfire I saw. Must be over 20 years. At least we still get to to enjoy the pet scaring display.

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LadyNajaGirl@reddit

This makes me sad… I love doing all the creative stuff like this!

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boojes@reddit

Our scout pack has a guy competition, they all end up in the fire though, no matter who wins.

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MisterWednesday6@reddit

I'm afraid Bonfire Night means very little to me these days. I currently live in a very multicultural area of the UK, where between Diwali (when it's legal to have fireworks going off till 1 a.m), "Asian wedding season" and New Year's Eve, we have fireworks being set off for most of the year - so Bonfire Night is just another night when I have to try and calm my cat down.

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artesianoptimism@reddit

Fun fact, I'm an ancestor of Mr Fawkes.

It's still just a fire pit and grilled sausages for me, though.

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Muswell42@reddit

There's no proof Guy Fawkes ever had children, so you're also incredibly unlikely to be a descendant. A relative, maybe.

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artesianoptimism@reddit

Could also be correct. My grandpa told me a while back, and I don't remember how.

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Vituperative_Camel@reddit

An ancestor? Wow! You must be really old!

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artesianoptimism@reddit

I edited it, somebody already pointed it out. My bad lol

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Vituperative_Camel@reddit

It’s ok. We weren’t going to burn you alive or anything.

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BoomalakkaWee@reddit

I'm an ancestor of Mr Fawkes.

You must be about 475 years old, then.

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artesianoptimism@reddit

Oops, did I use the wrong word? I mean, I'm related to him, going wayyy back.

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BoomalakkaWee@reddit

You're a descendant, then. 😊

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artesianoptimism@reddit

Thank you! 🫣

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RequirementMajestic7@reddit

I don't think anyone is that bothered about the story behind it now. It's just become a tradition like many other things. I enjoy Christmas, but I'm an atheist.

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poppyo13@reddit

I always found it was an excuse to shit on Italians

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theplanetpotter@reddit

It’s an excuse to take your kids to fireworks, but that’s about it for adults.

It’s probably more of a thing than Halloween, but much less than Christmas.

The irony was never lost on me that probably our third most popular day of celebration (after Christmas and Easter) is about a time when some guy tried to blow up a load of politicians. It does seem a strange thing to celebrate.

As ‘celebrations’ go it’s all done quite locally, more on a village/town level, lots of fireworks displays on local football pitches and things like that.

There’s no public holiday for it though, no days off work, it just all happens in the evenings and weekends.

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Drewski811@reddit

It's not a celebration of him, it's a celebration of the plot being uncovered and foiled, and an avoidance of the country being purged by hardcore Catholic fundamentalists.

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biggs3108@reddit

It's genuinely staggering how many people ITT don't seem to know this

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turdinabox@reddit

I choose to celebrate him!!

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Rocky-bar@reddit

>a time when some guy tried to blow up a load of politicians. It does seem a strange thing to celebrate.

It would be worth celebrating if someone actually succeeded!

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theplanetpotter@reddit

That’s what I never quite understood exactly what we were celebrating. The fact he tried? The fact he failed? The fact the politicians all survived?

This specific detail was never explained at school and has perplexed me since.

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ldnbrda@reddit

We burn figures of him on a fire…i dont think we liked him. It was probably because he failed, and thats why its called ‘the gunpowder TREASON and plot’ he was a traitor to the government at the time and he was found out and the politicians wanted to make sure we never forgot and obviously nobody in power since then has disagreed with the message the celebration puts out so its survived the test of time. I think.

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caiaphas8@reddit

We are celebrating his failure. The plotters planned after the bomb to install a child as a puppet king and create an absolute catholic monarchy, like France

King James immediately encouraged people to celebrate the governments survival with bonfires, parliament passed a similar law to commemorate the date a few months later

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HesitationAce@reddit

I think it was meant to be a puppet queen as James and Charles would have been killed in the explosion leaving his daughter Elizabeth as next in line.

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Twinklekitchen@reddit

It’s that the plot was foiled. The celebration of the 5th November was actually mandated by an act of parliament (Thanksgiving act 1605). People were ordered to attend church on that day during which the act of parliament was read aloud.

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theplanetpotter@reddit

TIL!

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Rocky-bar@reddit

I think it's the fact that he failed, we burn the poor bloke for centuries to celebrate hin getting caught!

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Elastichedgehog@reddit

more of a thing than Halloween

I'm not sure I'd agree with that. Halloween is a much bigger event in my experience.

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Kitchen_Part_882@reddit

It used to be bigger when I was a kid, we'd do "penny for the guy" to get money to buy fireworks, mum cooked a big pot of black peas, and we'd have jacket potatoes cooked in the embers of the bonfire.

My daughter doesn't like fireworks. Once she was old enough to have an opinion, we basically stopped doing anything on 5/11. She gets super excited about Halloween, though.

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Fabulous-Sun-8388@reddit

Agreed. They were equal billing when I was wee but now bonfire night is much diminished.

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Violet351@reddit

I think that’s happened since they stopped doing the bonfires. It was diminished a bit by that

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Fabulous-Sun-8388@reddit

Yeah, there used to be a bonfire in every town and village with a fireworks display. It was a real community event and there was always a van selling hot food. Entire families would go and you'd always bump into friends and neighbours. Now it's just some kids in the street scaring dogs with random fireworks.

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Violet351@reddit

It was an all day thing where I grew up. Competitions during the day like best Guy, colouring in best pumpkin or turnip carving. Then there was the fire and the local guides and Scout would do soup and jacket potatoes followed by the fireworks and then the fair would open. It’s still a big deal and most of the village turn up. It moved outside the village for a couple of years and they charged for it but it wasn’t successful so they went back to the free fireworks on the common

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Fabulous-Sun-8388@reddit

Oh when I was wee it took all week. There were the boys who went around asking for a penny for the guy. The building of the bonfire took at least a week. It was huge. But it's been many years since anything much happened. There was a firework display in the neighbouring village for a few years but even that has stopped. Insurance costs or something I think. Halloween on the other hand continues to thrive and grow every year.

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theplanetpotter@reddit

Halloween here is one big night and over by 8pm

Whereas fireworks tend to be spread out. School fireworks one night, village one the next, another the following weekend, etc.

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imminentmailing463@reddit

I don't know, Halloween goes on for at least a week these days. And it has a much higher profile than bonfire night in terms of seeing stuff about it out and about and on TV. You get Halloween themed events on the night itself and the weekend before/after, sometimes both. People even do fireworks for Halloween now.

By contrast, bonfire night feels pretty low key. It's just sort of there. I'd say bonfire night was a bigger thing when I was young. Now I'd say it's Halloween by some margin.

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quartersessions@reddit

It’s an excuse to take your kids to fireworks, but that’s about it for adults.

This is a problem, in my view, with this country more generally. Half the people seem to think their children and their job are the only reason to leave the house.

I assume it's because of soulless housing estates and an ever-increasing detachment from community. But everything done seems to descend into being "for the kids". Christmas, Easter, village gala days, sport. New Year's Eve is about the last hold-out and that's only because most of the little buggers are in bed.

People need community, events, a sense of belonging. But it seems all too many are happy to substitute that for another night in front of the television, before wondering why their mental health has gone to shit.

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mantolwen@reddit

It used to be a religious holiday in the church of england

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Llanistarade@reddit (OP)

!answer

Thanks a lot ! And okay, I get it now ! Have a nice night :D

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trypnosis@reddit

Unlike other festive events this is simply an excuse for people to go out have a bonfire and/or light some fireworks.

Few consider the backstory.

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joethesaint@reddit

I think we largely just keep it going for the sake of being a bit wacky. Fawkes isn't really considered a big villain of history, I think most people aren't even entirely clear on why he did what he did, or if he was deserving any sympathy for his cause. We certainly aren't thinking anything, good or bad, about Catholicism on the day.

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Ill-Breadfruit5356@reddit

Yes, it’s definitely more “fireworks night” or “bonfire night” than “Guy Fawkes night”.

The popularity of the celebration probably owes more to the date - just as evenings are getting darker and the weather colder, midway between the end of summer and the Christmas celebrations- than any significance of the event itself.

We don’t do these kind of things as often or as well as our European neighbours, generally, so it’s nice that this uniquely British tradition has survived as well as it has.

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Substantial_Dust4258@reddit

I wish one of the holidays were don't burn an effigy of a persecuted religious minority survived instead.

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Ill-Breadfruit5356@reddit

I honestly can’t remember the last time I saw a bonfire with an actual Guy on it

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GDH26@reddit

We celebrate a failed terrorist plot to kill the king. But are we celebrating the fact they tried, or that they failed?

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Substantial_Dust4258@reddit

Many historians now think the plot was one of many falsified catholic terrorist attacks that were invented by the crown and government to stir hatred. It's suspected Guy Fawkes did nothing and was tortured until he signed the pre-written statement.

Celebration of bonfire night and attendance of a special bonfire night religious service was legally enforced for decades and punishments were severe. The celebration was, of course, that the (very likely fake) attack was foiled.

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DrDaxon@reddit

We celebrate the execution of guy Fawkes, which didn’t even go that well. He was supposed to be hanged drawn and quartered… but the cheeky bugger jumped during the hanging and broke his neck and died instantly, missing out on the all the torture! Proper spoil sport. I like to think we all have a big party because he ruined one.

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Current_Professor_33@reddit

Really? I didn’t know this — I heard they proper went for him during the torture, put his balls I between the hammer and bell on Big Ben and obliterated his testes … bit pointless if he died though.

I also didn’t realise most people viewed it as a good thing because Guys main motivating factor was in wanting to return more power to Catholicism.

V for Vendetta makes him seem a lot cooler.

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jakmar86@reddit

They tortured him for weeks before the execution to get him to give away the others in the plot. He confessed straight away but said he acted alone. They still cut him up after the hanging but the idea was to keep them alive and he found a quick way out. Absolutely brutal times.

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deadliestrecluse@reddit

It's because he was a Catholic terrorist trying to bring down the state and your country was obsessed with Catholic plots for hundreds of years

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0HP123456789@reddit

We celebrate the failure of the plot. In fact it was the law to do so until 1859. Church attendance was (in theory) mandatory, but much of the celebrations were bell ringing, bonfires and fireworks. Mostly then effigies of the pope were burned. Guy Fawkes actually only started being seen in the way we understand now in the 1800s, perhaps because anti catholic sentiment lessened in England after the French revolution. Guy starts to appear in sermons and as an effigy more frequently from around 1800 on.

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Peppl@reddit

Its a mixed bag, some celebrate that he was stopped, some celebrate that he tried

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Remarkable-Wash-7798@reddit

Not only do we celebrate a failed terrorist plot but we also do it by lighting explosives.

I also don't understand wether it is for them trying or failing. Terrorism is bad either way so I'm assuming the fact they was caught. But then again it wouldn't make sense to light explosives in memory.

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Plodderic@reddit

It’s become deliberately ambiguous, I think.

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Sensitive-Fishing-64@reddit

lol come down to Lewes sometime

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dcuffs@reddit

But be prepared to walk home as all public transport bypasses Lewes after 5pm

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jjgill27@reddit

It doesn’t. You can get a bus from Tesco - they run all evening.

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Krizzlin@reddit

Yea but we're not meant to let people know that. We wunt be druv!

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jjgill27@reddit

Lol, I did think that after I posted 😬

I love the early afternoon of bonfire. That sense of anticipation and the lull in the town is quite magical!

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dcuffs@reddit

The queue must be massive!

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Zabkian@reddit

I used to live in a predominately Catholic area and the local Catholic church social club has the biggest bonfire and fireworks with no thoughts on the history of the celebration and fate of the Catholics involved.

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Apple2727@reddit

The fact they failed.

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PristineAnt9@reddit

Yes

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Infamous_Box3220@reddit

Yes

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The_Sown_Rose@reddit

Well, there’s the good thing - it could be either, so it’s truly a holiday for everyone!

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GAdvance@reddit

Failure certainly, the break from catholicism is in the long term one of the defining parts of our history and the plots failure cemented it.

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MasterBlasterJamm1n@reddit

I don’t think that is true at all. Bonfire night in Lewes, where an effigy of the pope is often burnt and Protestant martyrs are celebrated definitely has sectarian undertones. I’m also told it’s quite a big deal in Belfast for similar reasons.

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IHeardOnAPodcast@reddit

We literally don't celebrate it in Belfast/Northern Ireland, probably because of the sectarian undertones. As a result Halloween is a lot bigger deal here and that's when we do our big fireworks displays.

Like I'm sure there are some people who maybe do something for it (just because there's always an exception in a decent sized population), but it is so far away from being a big deal, since it's almost non existent.

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DukeOfWellington1291@reddit

We save all out pallets for the 11th night

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deadliestrecluse@reddit

Is it because all the firewood has been used up after all the effigies burnt on the 12th? Like come on man I'm not any kind of Irish nationalist but you can't pretend this kind of thing is completely in the past in unionist areas of Belfast

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IHeardOnAPodcast@reddit

I'm not saying certain people aren't massively sectarian and have bonfires on the 12th that burn effigies. I'm saying no one does 5th November. I literally live in a unionist area of Belfast.

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MasterBlasterJamm1n@reddit

My information about Belfast is incorrect then. Thanks for clearing that up!

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ignatiusjreillyXM@reddit

The 12th of July bonfires, in NI, on the other hand make the Lewes ones look like Father Ted leading a meeting to conclude that that would be an ecumenical matter

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MasterBlasterJamm1n@reddit

Yeah maybe that’s what I was thinking of…

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purply_otter@reddit

OK but in lewes, nowadays, they also burn LOT of things on Nov 5th, ive seen them burn a viking ship for fun, a Harry Potter float for fun, etc etc whatever they want to enjoy making through the year to burn later I've been and I think the sentiment of burning the pope effigy is just a traditional thing no actual malice to the actual pope They have a society dressed as monks holding a flaming sign NO POPERY but then a society dressed as Romans, a society dressed as French revolutionaries pushing a guillotine, like 30 people dressed as smurfs one time...its a night of weird chaos I think they go out to dress up, burn a THING and watch fireworks

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MasterBlasterJamm1n@reddit

I haven’t been for a while but when I did go they burnt a caravan because they were sick of travellers…

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symbister@reddit

That wasn’t at Lewes, it was in Firle, and it was investigated by the police as the hate crime that it was.

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purply_otter@reddit

Oh...that would be why I didn't see it

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purply_otter@reddit

Eek

There was a ' yer not even from round here' Hot Fuzz vibe I guess

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Krizzlin@reddit

It's not often burnt. It's ALWAYS burnt. Effigies of the pope and Guy Fawkes are there every year but the rest of the effigies are decided on by the different bonfire societies throughout the year usually based on local, national and international newsworthy events. You can expect a politician or two, particularly in an election year and I wouldn't be surprised if Netanyahu is in the mix this evening

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Seal-island-girl@reddit

You can watch Lewes live on YouTube right now

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fgspq@reddit

Unless you're in Lewes. They're very weird about it there and still very much into the anti-Catholic thing.

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deadliestrecluse@reddit

This is kind of funny to me because there is a sizable political grouping in the United Kingdom that literally burns effigies of Catholics as part of it's national holiday every year. There definitely are people thinking bad about Catholics in your country

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joethesaint@reddit

Thanks for the lesson on my own country mate but I think I might be slightly more qualified to talk about it.

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deadliestrecluse@reddit

Is that right yeah lol i just find it weird how you completely forgot about all your countrymen who spend their whole year waiting for the chance to bang their drum and burn some popes.

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joethesaint@reddit

Someone's got an active imagination huh.

If you look a little closer at my comment, maybe wipe the red mist from your eyes, you might see that actually I acknowledge that people do that, and am debating the why.

You know, because that's what OP was asking.

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madameniamh@reddit

As an Irish Catholic, I took great delight in telling my son (currently in a CofE primary school) that we were celebrating a brave Catholic man who tried to overthrow the government.

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Own_Art_2465@reddit

Surely Bastille day is a celebration of the revolution

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Own_Art_2465@reddit

It was more of a celebration of being saved from a Catholic theocracy and events like the Spanish inquisition. Historical traditions are by definition outdated-we could say the same things about christmas, but culturally it's still very valuable and I go to a bonfire display every year. Im yet to see anything in modern big events that matches things like christmas or Halloween for cultural impact.

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Silver-Appointment77@reddit

Its a tredition which has been happening a long time. Bonfire night it is to me. Where you have a massive fire, with potaoes in tin foil around the edges, And having fun and fireworks.

Although now for me is mainly just fireworks.

I dont even think of Guy Fawkes any more,

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Dracono999@reddit

Tbh as an American living in the UK I just go what's the deal with all these fireworks then check the date and go ah right remember remember the 5th of November. I do like v for vendetta.

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sameSdifferentD@reddit

When I was a kid, there used to be an effervy of Guy Faulks on the bonfire. Haven't seen that in at least 3 decades..

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Zealousideal-Tax-496@reddit

No. But then again, less and less does. So light those fires, burn what you want. The fires will take us all in the end.

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Easy-Celebration2419@reddit

With what our government has become I'm just gutted he didn't succeed

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BarryFairbrother@reddit

I'm a Brit who's lived abroad for a long time now, so it means a lot to me, as it is unknown and obviously totally unobserved outside the UK, and I miss it.

I have a lot of happy childhood memories of fireworks, building papier mâché Guys, eating toffee apples, etc. Nice sense of community. Nice to have an occasion to celebrate in the darker, colder period of the year.

The UK is the only sovereign state in the world not to have an official national day. I have always thought 5 November would be a nice date for it if there had to be one.

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Warrior_king99@reddit

It's just an excuse to let off fireworks, plus it's my birthday 🤷

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blackcurrantcat@reddit

I think Halloween and bonfire night have sort of melded to create a kind of celebration of autumn - it’s actually less commercialised than Christmas and anecdotally I’m not the only person who prefers the Halloween/bonfire week to Christmas and would take it as a national holiday over Christmas.

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JJGOTHA@reddit

Well, V for Vendetta has certainly increased the interest in him

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Intelligent_Might421@reddit

I'd argue that most UK celebrations don't "mean" anything nowadays.

Guy Fawkes night (also known as Bonfire night or just 5th November) is just an excuse for a Bonfire and fireworks. Most people won't actually know anything about the gunpowder plot. I'd be surprised if many people could name two conspirators outside of Guy Fawkes

Christmas - Presents and seeing family, church numbers have drastically fallen, Jesus is definitely NOT the focus of Christmas.

Easter - Chocolate Eggs. Again Jesus is not the focus.

etc etc.

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Hasvik@reddit

Yes, it's the night were my dog freaks out and can't settle, poor thing. He's a rescue and loud noises and such are pretty scarey for him

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irishmickguard@reddit

It means waking up and having to pick up shit in my living room because my dog was too terrified to go outside and do his business.

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idek_just_for_fun@reddit

Mostly an excuse to watch fireworks.

It does however tend to soothe any political discourse in an office when people argue about politics. My go to phrase was "At least we can all agree that if Guy Fawkes did it again, we would be on his side".

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superkinks@reddit

To me this year it meant a disagreement about “hanged” vs “hung” and that’s about it. I’d actually say it’s not even as big as Halloween anymore. There were a few fireworks and I’m aware of a few displays being put on but I would say noticeably fewer going off at night than in previous years. We were going to do marshmallows on the fire pit but had a death in the family so didn’t feel like it.

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ace0612198@reddit

He was the last person in our parliament with honest intentions.

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Ordinary_Advice_3220@reddit

I'm not a complete stranger. I met guy fawkes at a glory hole one night. No wait just a guy from Foxborough

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InfiniteBaker6972@reddit

The celebration means little. I don’t sit there holding my whisky thinking about Guido Fawkes and mulling the political significance of what he and his gang were trying to do. But I love fireworks and bonfires. We don’t get many of the latter these days but fireworks get me revved up. For me it’s far more exciting than Halloween.

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Delicious-Cut-7911@reddit

If I could go back in time, I would warn Guy Fakes to abort his mission of blowing up Parliament. We would not have the misery of fireworks distressing dogs, cats. animals, birds and the elderly. Fireworks are a noise pollution for many people when teenagers set them off at 1.00 am in the mornings. Fireworks really should be 5 th November but many pubs and clubs will have them on a week end . They stopped the import of dangerous 'bomb' like fireworks from China a few years ago and banned the sales of fireworks until a few days before 5th which has made a difference. There has been talk of silent fireworks but no sign of that appearing so far. It is not as popular as I had it as a child in the 60's. There were lots of fires in gardens and the sky was full of fireworks. Not so today, I did not see any fires in private gardens. There were 2or 3 pubs who had bonfires in my area. As children we used to make a Guy Fawkes effigy and put him on a sort of wheelbarrow and push him round the streets asking ' Penny for the Guy'. It was a way of children getting money from people to buy fireworks. Now we have trick or treat 'Halloween' and this tradition has disappeared. It has been celebrated since Guy Fawkes was caught by lighting fires to celebrate the safety of the King. To have lasted that long is quite astonishing. It is now a time when we can have some fun in life and people get together as a community in the dreary Autumn nights. We have pie and peas, toffee apples and watch a spectacular firework display. Because of the distress and mayhem caused , it would be better if only organised bonfire displays were legal. The selling of fireworks to the public should be banned. Fireworks are explosives and can cause so many injuries. I was burnt on my face as a child when the wind blew over a roman candle and it went between my face and hood. We would not have the opportunity to see fireworks if it were not for Guy Fawkes , unlike many other Countries like USA who celebrate their 4 th July. Fireworks were only in London on New Year Eve when I was a child, now people do buy them privately.

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divorcedhansmoleman@reddit

My local primary school in a large town does a bonfire, lets off a firework display, a small funfair, hot food and drinks every year as long as I can remember. I’m nearly 40 so it’s not a new thing. We went last night, it was a 17 minute display. Lots of fun and community engagement and raises money for the school

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NYX_T_RYX@reddit

Yeah... Not all heroes wear capes...

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Pedantichrist@reddit

It is perhaps the most important night of the year for us. A toss up between this ands Christmas. We still have a guy with our fire and fireworks etc.

It is the single longest continuously running celebration in the UK, And until 1859 is was legally mandated by the Observance of 5th November Act 1605.

It represents the survival of democracy, but (whilst Guy Fawkes was a Catholic, and that was undoubtedly relevant in the past) nobody is thinking of his religion, any more than folk seriously consider treachery even the Americans have their traditional July celebration.

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1dontknowanythingy@reddit

It has always meant nothing to me. Back when I was a kid I’d see fireworks and just wonder “why would you do that?”. I thought it was dumb and since then refused to participate.

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portablekettle@reddit

Not really. The last 5 or so years I just completely lost interest in bonfire night and fireworks. As a household we still celebrate it though

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Mikon_Youji@reddit

Not really. It's just another excuse for people to let off fireworks these days.

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New_Line4049@reddit

I mean, it's a chance to let loose explosives into the sky, burn stuffed effigies, eat food and drink booze, does it need to mean more? Pretty sure it's the only time you can burn effigies without getting in trouble too, or at least without scaring the neighbours....

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Catzaf@reddit

I was just reading about a plastic surgeon who committed murder. He had a Guy Fawkes mask in his car as well as many other things. The police described his car as the perfect murderers or kidnapper’s car because of everything he had in it.

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SMTRodent@reddit

I know much of the gunpowder plot and the context of Guy Fawkes and James the first, but it seems very old and outdated to me,

Well, yes, it's a centuries old tradition. That's the whole point?

"I don't know, Easter seems outdated, the guy died more than two thousand years ago, nobody gets crucified any more."

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Llanistarade@reddit (OP)

Well you're supposed to believe that Jesus will come back to give us all eternal life, that's not exactly like a treason event that happened 400 years ago for reasons that do not apply anymore.

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GerFubDhuw@reddit

It means you've been told the wrong name of bonfire night.

Guy Fawks is actually more of a hero figure nowadays. We still burn a Guy in a bonfire of course, but we kinda like that he tried to blow up the government. Many modern guys to be burnt are designed to look like politicians and anyone we don't really like.

It's one of my favourite holidays. A big fire, fireworks, a shit fair with rigged games, a baked potato, and a toffee apple.

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shasaferaska@reddit

Most people (at least where I live) just call it bonfire night. We don't actually give a shit about the Catholic versus Protestant stuff that started the tradition. We just like fireworks and big fires.

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CheetahFart@reddit

"We don't even celebrate the revolution" ... Le 14 Juillet ça te dit quelque chose ?

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Hot_Price_2808@reddit

Yes but it's because it's still a huge thing in Sussex and like a massive celebration and a big big cultural event, if I didn't live in Sussex it's probably one of the things I'd miss most as although itx origins are questionable it's a lot of fun and a big community thing which raises a lot of money for charity.

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caesarbagel@reddit

The older I get and the more I learn about the royal family, I begin to think Guy had a point xxx

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PoetryNo912@reddit

I missed the Guy Fawkes lesson in school as a child and for years I thought we were setting off fireworks in solidarity that he almost managed to blow up Parliament. I didn't learn it was the other way round until I was a teenager. I think it's safe to say it is just "fireworks night" for most people.

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_FirstOfHerName_@reddit

They used beefeater under Parliament to look for gunpowder every year... It's a big deal.

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rhyithan@reddit

Rien

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MrAnon86@reddit

If the gunpowder plot were to succeed in this day and age, half the country wouldn’t consider Guy Fawkes a villain.

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Fantastic_Deer_3772@reddit

Bonfire, fireworks, food and drink! The story that goes with it, not really. I like to say I'm celebrating the fact they tried.

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cuteanimalvidz@reddit

I celebrate it because Catholicism and the church is evil.

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bertiebasit@reddit

He’d be consolation terrorist today

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Novel_Individual_143@reddit

No, frankly. But then it always did seem a bit abstract to me. Christmas too. I like that it’s the solstice but more than that it too seems a bit meh.

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andurilmat@reddit

i don't know i kind of like the idea of celebrating the foiling of a religious extremist plot and the execution of it's perpetrators. also fireworks are cool- unless its 2 in the morning then they can fuck right off

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ScaryButt@reddit

Not at all for me. When I was a kid we'd go to the local fireworks show on the school playing field, or my parents would host a bonfire night party in the garden. But now I'm older and don't have kids of my own I can't be arsed to go out in the freezing cold, have to find somewhere to park, trudge to a muddy field to stand still and stare at the sky for twenty minutes before doing it all in reverse.

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WinningTheSpaceRace@reddit

It holds back the ludicrously early Christmas nonsense for another few days after Halloween.

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Collooo@reddit

When the day comes around, it makes me more and more intrigued each year on how much of an impact he could have made if successful.

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6-foot-under@reddit

Bastille day?

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UmpireDowntown1533@reddit

Anyone saying it means nothing is being disingenuous and internet cynical. It means something whether that’s the rhyme we learnt as children “Remember remember the 5th of November, gun powder treason and plot….”

Or it’s the last uncommercial celebration before Christmas or is it like me when you search out all your winter hats and gloves as you prepare to stand out in the cold with local community.

It means something and the more collective experiences and marking of the calendar we can retain in this atomised world the better.

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cdh79@reddit

Personally? I celebrate that someone had the gumption to give it a go.

That said, religion is a bloody stupid thing to be murdering people over.

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MrVillainsDayOff@reddit

Good Guy Fawkes. Shame he's so demonised.

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misterlambe@reddit

Now I've got dogs and kids it's mostly staying in making sure dogs aren't scared. Silent fireworks are way to go.

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Apatoraptor_Rex@reddit

Some people loved James 6th (you'll also read he was also called James 1st - that's a whole different rabbit hole), and some hated him, but because it was stopped and wasn't a massive tragedy then we don't really care. It's an excuse to set things on fire and have them go boom.

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FunPie4305@reddit

Some guy tried to blow up the parliament but did not succeed? Sounds like it should be a day of mourning!

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gaiatcha@reddit

for me its a celebration of anarchy wahooooo

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MrMonkeyman79@reddit

It's an excuse to go out on front of a fire on a cold dark night and watch some fireworks.

Nobody actually cares that the gunpowder plot failed and King James I wasn't replaced with a Catholic king, it's ancient history. But fireworks are fun and it's the only day except new years where we typically set them off.

In fact it seems fewer and fewer brits even know what irs about anymore, I keep encountering people who think its a celebration of guy fawkes and some sort of anti government celebration, as opposed to the celebration of the foiling of the plot, hence the effergy of fawkes we throw on the bonfire.

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lovestick2021@reddit

Just a lot of loud bangs for days on end, where pets are scared shitless. Needs to be banned.

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harrietmjones@reddit

Well, I forgot it was Guy Fawkes Night tonight, until I saw a post that I had scheduled to do with today, appear on my page. So thank you tumblr for reminding me (technically myself tbh)!

I am also British.

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AlGunner@reddit

Lewes has a world famous bonfire night but that has nothing to do with Guy Fawkes. Its for the protestant martyrs who were execute by I think it was Mary Queen of Scots

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Vituperative_Camel@reddit

Think it was Mary I. Earlier than Mary QOS. As her name implies, QOS never ruled England.

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Cyber_religion@reddit

if there was something more today

Yeah, I wont be able to go to bed until 2 AM because of all the fireworks.

I'm not against people having fun, but my neighbors probably have more gunpowder in their hands right now than a full battalion in Ukraine.

I hope tomorrow morning my car is still in one piece.

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DigitalHoweitat@reddit

It's also a wonderful subversive cultural thing.

Fawkes was used as the figure for the "V for Vendetta" graphic novel [which was dark and bleak], which was adapted into a film.

Of course, the Fawkes mask was adopted by Anonymous (by accident) and is now the "go to" for 'we need to look like a hacker, black hoodie and mask on stand-by'

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all-dayJJ@reddit

You're french and don't celebrate Bastille day?

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LupercalLupercal@reddit

I celebrate him at least having a go at making us a republic

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First-Butterscotch-3@reddit

Irritation and explosions

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Criticada@reddit

Everyone says Bonfire Night now. Didn’t even hear his name mention today or the whole week.

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masha1901@reddit

Well, the thing is I was born and raised in Sussex, so I have a sort of close connection to Guy Fawkes. Lewis has a huge bonfire celebration, and I have participated in several bonfire societies. So yes to me, November 5th is hugely important.

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animalwitch@reddit

I think most people have no idea why we set off fireworks and have a bonfire these days; the tradition has somewhat stayed but for the wrong reason, I guess.

It's just a few weeks of my dog being frightened in my head.

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ImJustARunawaay@reddit

No - and I don't think it does to anybody. We celebrate it because it's fun, and an occasion. Nothing more

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This_Charmless_Man@reddit

Growing up it was firework night in our house but then again, dad used to do firework shows on the side so it was work for him

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Jcw28@reddit

As an adult without children it just means a lot of annoying noise to me. My cat died a few years ago but when I had him I felt so sorry for him because pets gets terrified by it and don't understand. It was always a time for loud classical music (Classic FM do a wonderful relaxing evening for pets) and relaxing treats and generally making sure he was okay. I hate fireworks as they're just pointless and wasteful. Particularly the detritus from them that falls all over and doesn't get picked up by what is, ultimately, the person who caused the litter.

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JorgiEagle@reddit

Traditional is a strong thing.

Guy Fawkes night was a legally mandatory holiday for hundreds of years.

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Comfortable--Box@reddit

I think people just like an excuse for a big fire and letting off explosives

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Bumblebeard63@reddit

It used to be a thing when I was a kid back in 60s and 70s. We did Penny for the Guy and had a firework party every year. Lots of people came over. As we got older, we added booze and BBQs. Nowadays, I really can't be bothered with it.

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purply_otter@reddit

Srry question for OP - I thought you celebrate the revolution with Bastille day? What is Bastille day

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HauntedBiFlies@reddit

Specific regions have very different customs for bonfire night and some have very elaborate festivals - e.g. various towns and villages have bonfires, others have tar barrels (like the Ottery St Mary Tar Barrels festival, where people run through crowded streets carrying barrels of flaming tar until the barrel burns away). In these places it’s a pretty big deal.

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gnomeplanet@reddit

He's the best thing that ever happened in that house of corruption.

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Vyvyansmum@reddit

No. I’m a descendant of one of the Cato Street Conspirators from February 1820 which was another attempt to overthrow the government & failed. I prefer to think about that…

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Clear-Ad-2998@reddit

It's my fucking birthday and I'm 77, so GIRFUY.

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katherinemma987@reddit

I’m fond of it but it was a lot better as a kid. Mostly because there were a lot of smaller celebrations (school, girl guides and I’d tag along to my brothers scout one as well) which were cheap and cheerful. I also don’t think it’s a terrible idea to remind the government what happens if they ignore the will of the people. Think I’d prefer it if we leaned a bit more into that, effigies of bojo are always fun.

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No_Zebra_6114@reddit

The trauma to animals caused by the noise of fireworks is horrific. In fact, how they are not banned in residential areas, I do not know.

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Illustrious-Snow-638@reddit

It’s just an excuse to watch a fireworks display, which is something fun to break up the suddenly very dark evenings. I don’t know anyone that calls it Guy Fawkes’ night or mentions him anymore.

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HydroBrit@reddit

I am an atheist, but I view it as the celebration of the defeat/failure of a fifth column, nefarious source to fundamentally change our way of life. Blowing up Parliament & the King, and re-aligning us with European Catholicism would've absolutely had huge impacts on the story of Britain.

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Expensive-Analysis-2@reddit

gently puts rock down Meh doesn't mean much. Just get to go ooh and ahh at some fireworks

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Tau51994@reddit

"We don't even celebrate the revolution" What is Bastille day then? It celebrates an event of the revolution.

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RevolutionaryPace167@reddit

Bonfire night was made into actual law by the then king. So yes it is an important custom

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Alundra828@reddit

There is a lot of symbolism crammed into Bonfire Night.

I think maybe for 95% of Brits, the symbolism is meaningless / they aren't even aware of half of it, and Bonfire Night is just a fun night to enjoy a bonfire, some carnie food, and bring the kids along to watch fireworks. They will know who Guy Fawkes is, and will know he was part of an effort that tried to blow up parliament and failed and met a grizzly end. But not many people will know of his motivations, nor the ramifications that came of it.

There's a whole thing about anti-Catholicism, anti-parliament, anti-authoritarian sentiment inherent the whole thing, but basically nobody acknowledges that on the night. It's just an elaborate night of fun

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roboticlee@reddit

When I was in primary schools Bonfire Night was used as a latch for other parts of history. The event serves many purposes beyond just being part of English culture that we are told is non existent.

In the national consciousness we might know little more than there was a thwarted plot to blow up parliament and Guy Forkes was caught lighting the fuse but it is an important national celebration that provides for one night a sense of community. In theory.

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ZestycloseStyle88@reddit

Can you explain the symbolism, please?

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Alundra828@reddit

Sure. Using this as our reference as it's the biggest one

There are lots of movements that associate themselves with bonfire night, like catholics, protestants, suffragettes, some druidic peoples who condense midsummers eve into bonfire night, as well as all the historic outfits from the period, hence all the costumes.

Burning crosses might evoke imagery of the klan to an American, but here it's to represent the burning of the 17 martyrs who were protestants were burned at the stake in Lewes in particular during the reign of Mary I. There are lots of local traditions that get swept up into bonfire night if the content of that tradition contains fire. My local area for example has incorporated a witch burning, and a highwayman burning for example.

Obviously all the flaming barrels are to represent the barrels that would've housed the gunpowder used to blow up parliament. People throwing fireworks at catholic priests on the stand is to represent that the plotters were catholic.

The actual day was marked as a day of "thanksgiving" by James I, it was essentially implemented to allow citizens celebrate that the king had survived so every day on November 5th, since 1605 people have been allowed to light bonfires as long as there is no danger, or disorder associated with them. Of course, regardless of whether people know they're honouring the survival of the king, people look at this liberty and just do it, because it's unusual and a fun thing to do.

Of course, being such an old event lots of local bonfire nights have all taken on their own significance and have their own traditions. There is tonnes to read about on wikipedia about the rise and fall and re-rise of its popularity and the reasons for it etc (which can basically be boiled down to catholics bad lol)

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ZestycloseStyle88@reddit

Fantastic to know, thank you.

Also, something new I learnt about Lewes, I had no idea.

Per Wikipedia

The town's most important annual event is the Lewes Bonfire celebrations on 5 November, Guy Fawkes Night. In Lewes this event not only marks the date of the uncovering of the Gunpowder Plot in 1605, but also commemorates the memory of the seventeen Lewes Martyrs, Protestants burnt at the stake for their faith during the Marian Persecutions. The celebrations, which controversially involve burning an effigy of Pope Paul V, who was pope during the Gunpowder Plot, are the largest and most famous Bonfire Night celebrations in the country.

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Ahouser007@reddit

Which revolution? You've had many.

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LordBrixton@reddit

It’s still a pretty big deal in Sussex, but I think that more broadly across the UK it’s being supplanted by the (more American) Halloween.

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MiTcH_ArTs@reddit

(Scotland 60/70s)
A handy time of the year for celebration. In my childhood it was pretty much just the end of a week of guising and penny for the guy who (other than being the effigy) the man himself largely ignored (which is understandable given that for large chunk of its history it was likely little more than a work around/fill in to celebrate pagan customs that had been banned/limited, including harvest bonfires and candle-lit processions and so on)

Feasting around a communal bonfire (usually each street had its own or a number of streets in a scheme would pool together) baked tatties, huge pots of stews and soups, sausages, pork pies, sausage rolls, hot chocolate and/or Horlicks some weird spiced drink (cant remember what it was)
Fireworks bought from the guising/penny for the guy money (and whatever the adults chip in)
Jumping the fire (well a wee bit of the sparking embers that had been dragged out to jump)
Music and occasionally dancing

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Artistic_Data9398@reddit

tbh i think it died with millennials but only people use it for a photo day

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IThinkItMightBeMe@reddit

If you're from a half decent area it's a night to go and watch some pretty fireworks. If you're from a shit area it's a night for increased gun crime.

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Annual_Marzipan8624@reddit

Yes, I wish he was about now and was more successful.

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bestorangeever@reddit

All it means to me is traffic while I’m trying to get home from work, it just took me 2 hours to drive 18 miles

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KingofCalais@reddit

For me, as a Monarchist, Guy Fawkes night represents a celebration of monarchy and the cultural heritage of the nation.

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LUST_TONE@reddit

Good old guy Fawkes the last man to enter parliament with honesty intentions

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deleted_by_reddit@reddit

[removed]

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NoNameSandwich@reddit

Also I have a reactive Romanian rescue dog, and this time of year is just awful for him

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bonkerz1888@reddit

It's just been an excuse to watch fireworks and a big bonfire for generations now.

And sparklers!

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Pequoddave@reddit

Side point, but don't you celebrate the revolution in have Fete Nationale (spelling?) on 14th July, to align with the storming of the Bastille? Honest question, we call it Bastille Day,so I always assumed that it was celebrating the revolution

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the_sweens@reddit

It means about as much as Halloween and Easter...

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International-Bat777@reddit

Halloween I agree with you. Easter not at all. Many families will get together over Easter for a meal and to give out eggs, whether religious or not. Two bank holidays helps as well.

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the_sweens@reddit

True, Easter I was more thinking there is a growing percentage of people that see it as a chocolate gift giving rather than religious though it is to a less degree

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watchfulsea@reddit

this is such a fascinating question, love it. thank you for asking it. I'm American, not English, but have spent a lot of time in the UK and having studied and respected UK history, and loving the UK people in all their complexities, have wondered this same question, brilliant, thank you! Can't wait to see the answers

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Organic-Violinist223@reddit

To directly answer your question, we light a few quiet fireworks fornrhe lights, not the noise, to respect the neighbours pets. My daughter loves the fireworks and I enjoy the spectacle. Guy fawkes is not on my mind at all. Although retrospectively I wish he succeeded!

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Apidium@reddit

The fireworks are more avalable and nobody will complain if you set off a bunch of them. Or the folks who do complain will be told to shut it.

The only impact it has on me is that I need to walk my dog before sunset and she gets grumpy and growls about the house all night.

When I was younger we would go to bonfires and set off our own fireworks but bonfires are less popular now and afformentioned dog prohibits going and standing about in the cold looking at sky explosions I have seen thousands of before.

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GammaPhonic@reddit

It only means a fun night of a big sod-off fire, fire works and treats. It’s for kids really. The historical context is just that. An excuse for kids to learn about English history.

It’s a 400 year old tradition. And these days, it’s pretty much for tradition’s sake alone.

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RipCurl69Reddit@reddit

Once I hit the age of 9 I promptly stopped caring about it lol

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__order_and_chaos@reddit

Breaks the year up

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Katpanpanch@reddit

I’m Catholic and British and went to Catholic school my whole school career. I celebrate a near miss revolution….my atheist husband loves to set stuff on fire.

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Organic-Violinist223@reddit

Salut Pierre, comment vas tu. I used to live in frnace and marvelled at the fireworks for Bastille day and loved how the French loved this day. Although the French foreign legion once stopped me going surfing as their tanks literally blocked to rosd. I was very annoyed. Anyway. Here, we celebrate the survival of the king at that time hence the burning of the Guy Fawkes, royalist is mostly lost now, thankfully. In france, you celebrate the opposite! Vivez le france!

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SusieC0161@reddit

It’s just about going to a fireworks/bonfire party with the kids. No one thinks, or talks, about the history of it. For many it’s a night of trying to console frightened pets, comfort kids who can’t stand the racket or are repeatedly woken up and ex forces personal, with PTSD, trying to just get through the night.

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nfoote@reddit

So I'm from New Zealand originally but live in the UK. I've noticed they're more likely to call it Bonfire night than Guy Fawkes in the UK, which implies to me that it's lost a lot of meaning. Back home in NZ we'd never say bonfire night and always call it Guy Fawkes and always make a "Guy" to burn, even though the gunpowder plot is even more removed from relevance to NZ history.

Basically i think it's just a case of every country needs a reason to blast off fireworks once a year and the gunpowder plot is still as good a reason as any!

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quartersessions@reddit

I'm a big fan of Guy Fawkes Night. Always have been - it's tied up with childhood memories of cold, crisp nights, with some hot food or drink in your hands, flames licking over you. You get fireworks now in all sorts of places at New Year, but I never remember this being a thing until relatively recently.

Are people thinking about Catholicism, the established church and 17th century politics? Probably not. Does your average American sit and reflect on British Imperial policy and the Olive Branch petition on the 4th of July? Do Irish people think deeply about the role of a British bishop in spreading the gospel on St Patrick's Day?

Guy Fawkes is a caricature of a villain, getting up to dark deeds in the dead of night. A traitor, maybe. That's about as deep as it goes.

Ultimately it's a folk festival. Coming together in the winter. Light defeating darkness. Carried on not out of some academic interest in history or because it has to teach some tedious noble lesson about patriotism or morality. It's done because it's done and has been done, by generations before us.

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WarmTransportation35@reddit

It's the only reason I want to watch the BBC weather man Chris Fawks present the weather on bonfire night.

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Llanistarade@reddit (OP)

I love your answer, thanks !

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WarmTransportation35@reddit

It's more like a reason to light fireworks than to celebrate anything similar to the French on Bastille day.

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oh_no3000@reddit

I'm a die hard Catholic indoctrinated since birth and Guido Fawkes was a hero. I cry every year at children's effigies and the bangs echoing what could have been. Deus Vult.

Nah it's just a good fun excuse to set fire to some wood and some nice bangs and pops as the evenings get dark.

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GOF63@reddit

If it were only the evening of the 5th, bonfire burning an effigy of Guido Fawkes, fireworks and food, it would still be something special. But people have been setting them off around here since last Thursday and driving pets mad. I remember as a kid, we’d make a guy out of straw and old clothes, stick in a n old pushchair and trek around the houses, asking “Penny for the Guy?”

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Disco-Bingo@reddit

I absolutely love Bonfire night. It feels like a great pre Christmas event, and whilst the meaning behind it all is pretty much lost on most people, I do like that it’s still celebrated.

I think it’s important to keep these very British customs alive, especially if they involve setting fire to things, fireworks, parkin cake, treacle toffee and convincing adults to give children money for fireworks.

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budbailey74@reddit

The only time of year it’s socially acceptable to burn garden garbage, old windows and anything painted in a toxic paint. Hey it’s a bonfire!!

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just_some_guy65@reddit

No, it's complete nonsense like a lot of British traditions

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gander8622@reddit

Make things explode in the garden with the kids innit. I'm the responsible child. In my yoof we used to march with lit torches to the display. It was awesome!

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ThatSamShow@reddit

It's just an excuse to watch pretty fireworks, and play with sparklers. Nothing more. Nobody cares. It's a tradition that keeps losing its meaning as each decade passes.

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Meshla-Beviin-Ordo@reddit

I remember doing 'penny for the guy' as a kid and getting upset and not wanting to make them when I found out that the bonfires we put the guy on were deathtraps for hedgehogs. I swear there was a big campaign about checking for hedgies before setting bonfires alight!

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caiaphas8@reddit

I think council budgets killed bonfires more then health and safety

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ThatSamShow@reddit

In my lifetime, and the areas where I've lived, the council had absolutely nothing to do with funding bonfire events. The events were handled solely by the venue – country pubs, rural villages, etc.

I now live extremely rural and a local village close to where I live can't put it on anymore as they can afford to fund it themselves. It cost a few thousand pound. Also, when I was growing up, it was put on by a local pub for the local community.

If I travel 15 miles to the nearest town/city, I could visit a bonfire event held in a park, which is undoubtedly funded by the council. However, don't forget the little communities!

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HamsterEagle@reddit

The kids learn about it at school. The eldest likes the fireworks and the youngest doesn’t. He does like the rhyme though. The dogs hate it.

It means nothing to me as an event or something to commemorate.

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Dry-Crab7998@reddit

The original meaning is mostly lost nowadays, but culturally it's about as significant as your Bastille Day, n'est pas?

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BastardsCryinInnit@reddit

Oh, absolutely nothing.

It's a fun thing to learn about in primary school, where by far, the most interesting part of primary education is learning all about the torture devices from the Tudor and Stuart period.

Every school child will know what "the rack" is and have seen the two signatures of before and after of Guy Fawkes.

And thinking about, I might just believe that without the rack and those two signatures... We probably wouldn't have gone on about it for so long.

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Tiny_Megalodon6368@reddit

I don't think many people associate it with being anti-Catholic anymore, because Catholics are not trying to blow up our parliament. It is just anti-"people who want to blow up parliament". Parliamentary democracy is pretty secure so it's more of a celebration that we got to this point.

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D0wnb0at@reddit

To many people like myself, the meaning is completely lost. Guy Fawkes night is commonly referred to as Bonfire Night. It’s just a night to have a bonfire and set off fireworks. No one thinks of the actual reason for it other than “ooo, fire and fireworks”

As controversial as this might be for devout Christians, Christmas is the same. It’s a day of spending with family, eating and drinking to excess and giving presents. The whole “Jesus died” thing isn’t even a thought for most of us. Even if we believe in God. Was a bit strange a couple xmas’s ago where we were hosting an American (married into the family) and he asked who was going to say prayer before eating. Was unanimous that we felt the guest should say prayer. Religion isn’t in the back of our minds nor mind doing it to celebrate religion, in the same way we celebrate bonfire night.

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Fuzzy-Data-9876@reddit

As with anything connected to UK/British/English celebrations now, it’s considered “problematic”, “far right” or any other BS term, so most distance themselves from it, for the sake of appearances.

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PKblaze@reddit

The celebration means a bunch of wankers blow shit up and set fires for about a month.

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Honest-Librarian7647@reddit

I'm in shock at the suddenly short days, any excuse to burn shit now!

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Thestickleman@reddit

Means about as much as halloween, Christmas or any of this stuff.

However I do prefer it because I like fire, fireworks and blowing up parliament

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petediddy2018@reddit

Ahh, I remember penny for the Guy..literally made no pennies for the effort we put into the making of a mannequin made of black bin liners stuffed with newspaper with a mask thrown on.

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GreatBigBagOfNope@reddit

It means we have a night out with unhealthy food, fairground games, a big fire and some fireworks!

All kids learn about Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot, some adults learn some more of the details. But, honestly, the specific celebration of the failure to kill the king and most of Parliament is not prominent. We're all aware of it, but it's not the main event!

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Jebus_UK@reddit

It means nothing to me and n very really has. He has become a symbol of freedom fighters and rebels in recent years mainly because of Alan Moore and later Anonymous I guess.

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McDeathUK@reddit

As a pet owner and animal lover I would love to see the whole night abolished.

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New_Expectations5808@reddit

Means even less now burning the guy doesn't seem to be a thing anymore

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velvetinchainz@reddit

I celebrate guy Fawkes himself lmao

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anabsentfriend@reddit

I live near Lewes, it's the biggest night of the year.

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Realistic-River-1941@reddit

Watch the Rocket FM livestream from Lewes (on right now). It will leave you more confused, but is worth seeing.

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Fancy-Dot-4443@reddit

Nope, I had to Google it

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forrescik@reddit

It's annoyingly loud for entire evening....

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BeatificBanana@reddit

Nothing, and I wish bonfire night/fireworks night didn't exist at all. If it was wiped off the face of the earth forever I would celebrate.

Signed, an autistic person with an autistic husband and a very nervous cat, all three of whom have been existing in a state of pure unbearable sensory overload and non stop anxiety for hours and hours now thanks to the fireworks. We can't get away, even noise cancelling headphones aren't blocking the sound out completely, and my poor cat doesn't understand she's not in danger.

Fuck anyone who lets off fireworks

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Solid-Spare1194@reddit

I have ptsd and looking after my family’s dogs was scared of fireworks.

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SchoolForSedition@reddit

My friend who was a governor of a local Catholic school was always amused that every year they duly organised a Catholic-burning party, like all the other schools.

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Gr1msh33per@reddit

It's a celebration that the conspirators failed, James I decreed bonfires should be lit every year following the failed attempt to mark it being discovered in time.

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Valuable_Bunch2498@reddit

Nice to remember times when honest people with good intentions went into parliament

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coffeewalnut05@reddit

Not really, I mean it’s an excuse to have fireworks and fun. That’s the meaningfulness of it. Beyond that, no

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170923J@reddit

why is this even downvoted? I swear on this sub if you say you’re not british you get downvoted lol

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DecorouslyDecorous@reddit

No. It’s meaningless and pointless. The entire concept around celebrating it may been fine for the first few decades after the gunpowder plot, but like you said, it started to get old. Nobody cares about a 419 year old archaic government winning over a now dead person. It’s an outdated political conflict that holds no relevance in contemporary society. It should be abolished.

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jlelvidge@reddit

It really doesn’t mean anything anymore. It means a lot of idiots wasting money on fireworks and scaring pets or an excuse to burn your rubbish. I don’t think fireworks should be available to the public to purchase, only organised events and even then they should apply for a licence. Considering people have fireworks even at NY, it means nothing now

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WishYouWereHere-63@reddit

Pierre from France here.

Seriously ?

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FarneticoToro@reddit

Last person to enter parliament with honest intentions I think?

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thisisgettingdaft@reddit

As far as I understand, when the plot failed, the king made it a law to celebrate the failure each year. This law lasted for hundreds of years so 5th November became an annual event. I doubt people celebrate anything other than a good old firework festival nowadays but it is a firmly entrenched tradition.

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Geord1evillan@reddit

It's an excuse to blow stuff up / light stuff on fire.

Nothing more.

Same as new year's eve in france

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shaolinspunk@reddit

Nope. Guy Fawkes was a religeous zealot who wanted a strict catholic ruled country not led by a woman. V for Vendetta and those shitty masks might have made people think otherwise but it holds no relevant meaning in the world we live in.

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Aargh_a_ghost@reddit

Just gives us an excuse to blow things up really innit

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AxolotlSuitcase@reddit

On a personal note, I'm supposedly closely related to one of the conspirators.

It doesn't hold much meaning to me, but I'd certainly like to know the outcome if they'd succeeded and it's potential influence on England today.

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RPG_Rob@reddit

It's a celebration invented by the Victorians to keep people entertained in the autumn, because the industrial revolution meant that there weren't as many people exhausted by harvesting as there used to be.

The Victorians are responsible for quite a few of our current traditions.

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quartersessions@reddit

Actually the Victorian were the ones who removed it as a public holiday and observation in the Church of England. As much as they could, they stripped it of a lot of its wildness - and a lot of the associated anti-Catholic content.

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caiaphas8@reddit

Yes the Victorians invented, or changed, a lot of our traditions. But bonfire night was celebrated every year cron 1605 to now, it’s unfair to suggest that they invented the entire tradition (in this instance)

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LoveAnn01@reddit

I live in France and I'm amazed that this 'secular' country should seem to have so many religious festivals that justify yet another holiday! Such as Pentecost, Ascension, Assumption (whatever THAT is!), Easter, Christmas , All saints... And the French do celebrate the 14th July.

Of all these, only three are celebrated in the UK as holidays.

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Llanistarade@reddit (OP)

The main reason is that if we deleted the religious festivals, we would lose a holiday.

And we're french so that's unacceptable.

And beside that, most people here are indifferent to religion but not as hostile as some paint us.

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LoveAnn01@reddit

Merci bcp!

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malewifemichaelmyers@reddit

Bonfire night is my favourite holiday, I grew up in a village where every year we would burn the effigy and there would be local farmers passing out their ciders and roasted pork with jacket potatoes, we would drink and sing and it was always really fun. As an adult it’s a lot harder to find actual bonfires to go to and they’re never the same as small rural celebrations but I still like to go.

I would love to go down to Lewes for their celebration one year if I can ever get down there.

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amandacheekychops@reddit

We love bonfires & fireworks and that's about it.

I find the back story really interesting but, honestly, no one is out there cheering the night on as a victory against 17th century terrorism. The historical aspect is not thought of at all for the majority of people.

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elbapo@reddit

Erm- am i the only one that feels there was always a bit of a anti-establisment undertone to it- as in they almost did blow up parliament so lets celebrate the close call a little under the veneer of 'yay they caught him!'.

Other than that the whole thing was largely cartoonish bad guy/good guys - with some reinforcement of our protestant past. Even when i was very young.

Now it is moslty an excuse for a nice fire and fireworks thooght.

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skratakh@reddit

One thing to remember is that bonfire celebrations were common at this time of year before guy Fawkes. It was part of pagan harvest celebrations going back centuries before. Guy Fawkes is a more recent addition to the existing traditions but it's kind of gone back the other way to being less political and just part of the autumn harvest festival activity.

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Scarred_fish@reddit

3rd biggest event after New Year and Up Helly Aa. Starts basically the weekend before with guising, gathering for the bonfire, food and drinks (Halmas). The Bonfire weekend is afternoon party for kids, usually a live band, then bonfire around 7, then food and dancing 'till the early hours followed by a tidy up and wind down day on Sunday.

This is in Shetland, so not as influenced by the Americanisation of Halloween, Christmas, Easter etc as appears to be common in many of the posts here.

The idea of Christmas being a bigger thing than Bonfire Night or Newerdy just seems crazy!

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SingerFirm1090@reddit

There was a book published a few years ago, that advanced the theory, with a decent amount of evidence, that the 'Gunpowder Plot' was a false flag operation to justify the persecution of Catholics.

Others, in more recent times, have suspected that the plot was the work of a group of agents-provocateurs, anxious to discredit the Jesuits and reinforce the ascendancy of the Protestant religion.

There are inconsistencies in the confessions, extracted by torture, of those involved and subsequently killed.

It is well known that Guy Fawkes played a minor part in the plot, though his name is remembered.

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ImpressiveGift9921@reddit

Just spend time with family. Shoot some fireworks, eat and drink. I'm not imagining butchering catholics or anything in the modern day.

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TheNoGnome@reddit

Does to me, but I'm into history...

It does seem sad more people don't appreciate the meaning behind these events. Can't even find somewhere with a bonfire this year.

I want to watch it burn and think about religious sectarianism, the Pope, democracy and the monarchy.

All that happens is in fact a load of kids loot my sweeties. Then again, it's always been an edgy day. The apprentice boys used to hold up carriages for money and booze, militias called in to quell disorder in Exeter. It's a good wikipedia read.

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waamoandy@reddit

It's a great way to get rid of stuff that's cluttering your place up. Bits of old furniture, a settee you don't want just fly tip it on the biggest bonfire you can find and light it up

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AgeofVictoriaPodcast@reddit

For me it is completely meaningless. If the weather is good I might take the kids to see the fireworks, but it has no real cultural weight. I honestly enjoy Halloween more.

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Cyber_Connor@reddit

It’s pretty annoying. The fireworks freak out my dog

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Speshal__@reddit

Imagine Bastille Day went wrong and then imagine celebrating that. Doesn't make sense does it?

I'm British btw.

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wankingiswork@reddit

It mean's a lot to me that it becomes not just socially acceptable but socially encouraged to play with fire and explosives for at least one night a year.

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Otherwise-Extreme-68@reddit

Means bugger all. Just an excuse for fireworks

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BattleGreen454@reddit

Nope, not a thing. Not since the kids were little I guess. I enjoyed it as a family outing but have never "celebrated" it for the reason that it came about. I don't know anyone that gives two hoots about it's real meaning. Now it's just a good excuse to eat hot dogs and spend a fortune on fairground rides 🤣

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Tyranid_Queen@reddit

I'm still confused about whether we celebrate him being caught and stopped or the fact he tried!

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SwordTaster@reddit

It means I would make sure to keep the cat inside in my bedroom because he doesn't like fireworks

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Nyx_Necrodragon101@reddit

As of right now, today it means: FFS another night of dogs barking, the newborn next door screaming and the streets sounding like downtown LA.

This is because thanks to Diwali we have had a week and a half of fireworks every flippin' night.

Once it's over and the brain fog clears. It'll be the symbol of british law & order and more importantly the monarchy triumphing over a terrorist. Unfortunately sleep deprivation and quite frankly overexposure to fireworks have killed any fun for me.

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Sheworeayellow10@reddit

I remember feeling sorry for the guy in primary 😂

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Jack-Rabbit-002@reddit

Other than Guy Fawkes being the last person to enter parliament with good intentions, which I'm sure we can still get behind it's lost its magic and it's just probably become forgotten for other festivities, Halloween probably taking over these days, but sadly we are supposed to share a common tongue with those over the Atlantic. (Screams at Trick or Treaters)

Nowadays most people complain about fireworks (probably because they didn't grow up on a Council Estate like me) these days it normally starts way before the 5th it's just an excuse you to set off fireworks for most, you can also go to organised events etc but you'll be stood out on a cold foggy night.

The historical context is largely forgotten: Remember Remember the 5th of November is mostly quoted by those who enjoyed the film V for Vendetta.

I mostly associate with my Dad and Great Uncle in the garden as a kid burning a fire setting off some fireworks eating jacket potatoes (again on a cold night) Oh and the burning my Bertie Bassett cuddly toy as Guy Fawkes because it was a way of removing my attachment to it!

(You may have to look up Bertie Bassett)

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lalalaladididi@reddit

Sure. We celebrate someone who was put in his place. The state made him pay the ultimate price.

Would be celebrate guy if he'd been successful.

I somehow doubt it

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tmstms@reddit

All my life, which is 60+ years, it has just been an excuse to see some fireworks.

So nothing to do with the history.

It's a good story, with some very funny bits, but separate from what we do on Nov 5.

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breadcrumbsmofo@reddit

We just like setting shit on fire my dude.

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kpopera@reddit

Everything I know about today, I learnt from Alan Moore.

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Rassilon182@reddit

It holds very little meaning for most people. It’s more of an event for children really and serves as something of a history lesson. The symbolism of Fawkes is just tradition, albeit quite dark when you think about it.

Personally, I don’t like that we have these bonfires given that our planet is quite warm enough. I realise that the emissions pale in comparison to other things but it’s just so pointless.

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BaBaFiCo@reddit

Absolutely nothing. I haven't been to a Guy Fawkes thing since I was a kid. I suspect I won't until I have kids myself.

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YetAnotherInterneter@reddit

I went travelling to New Zealand a few years ago and I found it odd that not only do they celebrate it over there, but they also specifically call it “Guy Fawkes Night” and not “Bonfire Night”.

I know NZ used to be part of the British empire, but it just seems strange that they continue to celebrate it despite not really having a cultural significance.

When I asked locals about it they pretty much just said it was an excuse to let off some fireworks. It’s more seen as a celebration for the start of summer (cos southern hemisphere)

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Trentdison@reddit

It honestly means nothing good to me.

The day passes without comment.

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ReignOfWinter@reddit

Well according to social media he just means that peoples dogs are going to be scared. Combine bonfire night with Diwali and that's a lot of people moaning for a week or so about how fireworks should be banned because their pooch won't go out for a wee

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Farscape_rocked@reddit

Means nothing round here. Celebrating the death of a catholic plotter is kinda weird.

Down in the areas round london they take it much more seriously and each village will be assigned a conspirator to put on the fire in order of rank.

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Llanistarade@reddit (OP)

Thanks for all those answers, really interesting !

Have a nice night !

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kale_i_do_scope@reddit

It's an excuse to play with fire, which as we all know is the best experience in life.

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SmegmaSandwich69420@reddit

It's never meant anything to me other than yay fire yay pretty lights in the sky and I grew out of that a long time ago so now it's just loud.

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WINTERSONG1111@reddit

The bonfires, effigies, fireworks sparks memories of our childhoods and hopefully for our children as well. It is not so much as a history lesson as a cultural symbol of autumn now.

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flockwallpaper1@reddit

Question - If you don't celebrate the revolution, what is Bastille day?

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Djinjja-Ninja@reddit

Bonfire night has about as much connection to Guy Fawkes and the general anti-catholic sentiment that was originally part of it these days as Christmas does to Jesus, or Easter to Jesus (for secular people at least).

It's an excuse to go watch fireworks with your family and eat overpriced hotdogs in a muddy field, but almost no one is thinking about the full origins of it.

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NecroVelcro@reddit

It enrages me. Local scavs and chavs knock on doors in an attempt to get money for their fireworks and anything and everything is burnt on an enormous bonfire. There's no due diligence. No shits are given for those with pulmonary conditions or for people and animals who are terrified. If they're so desperate for a display, I'd love to impale and immolate the lot of them.

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ukbot-nicolabot@reddit

OP or a mod marked this as the best answer, given by /u/theplanetpotter.

It’s an excuse to take your kids to fireworks, but that’s about it for adults.

It’s probably more of a thing than Halloween, but much less than Christmas.

The irony was never lost on me that probably our third most popular day of celebration (after Christmas and Easter) is about a time when some guy tried to blow up a load of politicians. It does seem a strange thing to celebrate.

As ‘celebrations’ go it’s all done quite locally, more on a village/town level, lots of fireworks displays on local football pitches and things like that.

There’s no public holiday for it though, no days off work, it just all happens in the evenings and weekends.

It’s not a thing where you get together for eating and drinking in the same way as other festivals or holidays. It’s pretty much just a big bonfire, some fireworks, and a local burger place serving questionable food.

^(What is this?)

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MaxLevelYutyrannus@reddit

All my life, it's never been about the event. We all know the basic story, but not the full background and context. We all know some governments do bad things and one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter

So it's just been a day to celebrate socially and have fun. Human community and fire. Cold night, a couple of traditional foods, fireworks. No mention of the protagonist, even as we burn an effigy of him.

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anoutragedavocado@reddit

No.

To me, it's just a bunch of reckless wee bastards setting off fireworks all night long. It's more of an inconvenience to me as a pet owner as well. My cat hates the sounds. We have to keep all the blinds down and curtains closed.

They've been setting off fireworks for the past week. This won't stop for another couple of days, sadly.

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flightoffancier@reddit

I was talking about this the other day, Bonfire Night meant something when I was young. There was a village bonfire and fireworks and my grandmother would make bonfire toffee for us.

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Puzzled_Caregiver_46@reddit

To me personally, no. Some years I might go out with some friends and watch them from a hill, overlooking my city. Otherwise, I think it's mainly for kids. I'm not going out tonight to view them.

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Personal-Listen-4941@reddit

As a kid it was a fun night. As an adult, it means for 3 weeks people are letting off fireworks at all hours including the middle of the day. It causes me real issues with broken sleep to the point I’m looking forward to having to tomorrow off work just to catch up with my sleep

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royalblue1982@reddit

It has absolutely no meaning to 99% of the population other than having a good time and watching pretty explosions.

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intergalacticmouse@reddit

I guess as I am related to him I have a personal interest but apart from Lewes where it's a huge deal I don't think anyone really cares.

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movienerd7042@reddit

I really enjoy going to my local fireworks display every year – my friends and I often meet up and go together

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Front-Pomelo-4367@reddit

It's the last bit of light on the cold, dark run-up to Christmas. We don't really do Yule logs anymore, so bonfires and fireworks serve the same emotional purpose

People just call it Bonfire Night, too – ol' Guy is very disassociated from the whole affair

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TheAdmirationTourny@reddit

I affectionately call it "The day after my birthday".

No, I don't care about it at all. As far as I'm concerned it's just another day of the year.

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