Happy Guy Fawkes Day!

I celebrated Guy Fawkes Day once because a friend from England was a part of the church community where we lived and we wanted to make him feel more at home here in the states. I stuffed a Guy Fawkes dummy for my front patio, made homemade scones and clotted cream and we had our own little party. There was no bon-fire or perpetual torture. Just good friends, a nice tea, and my kids asking why I was making a scary dummy on the porch since Halloween was already past. It 's all in the perspective I suppose, and a day for clotted cream and fresh scones is one I'd celebrate any day!

Although Bonfire Night is an ancient ritual, Guy Fawkes Day emerged as a nationalistic reaction to “The Gunpowder Plot” of 1605. The leader of the conspiracy, Guy Fawkes, was an ardent Catholic who attempted to blow up King James I and the Houses of Parliament with the hopes of challenging the Protestant control of the country. The failure of Fawkes’s plot brought about an immediate surge in English Nationalism; Parliament quickly declared November 5th a national holiday that would be celebrated with “the pealing of bells and firing of cannon, with communal rejoicings, and a special service to be held in all the churches” (Hole 218). Evidently the English government’s original intention was to make “Guy Fawkes Day” a celebration of the strength of the Church of England.

for more information on Guy Fawkes Day and it's history, visit Class Projects.

Comments

Mel said…

Over dinner this evening himself looked at me oddly and informed me that he'd 'missed' Guy Fawkes Night......and I got to hear this story again.

9:03 PM EST

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