«
»


Remember, Remember, the 5th of November

November 5th, 2008 by monnibo | Out & About, Sharing

Gunpowder, treason and plot: Happy Guy Fawkes Day! The 5th of November celebrates the foiling of the Gunpowder plot in 1605. On November 5th, 1605, Guy Fawkes and a number of other Catholic conspirators tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament in London, England. Fawkes was caught in the cellar with several barrels of gunpowder. The trial that ensued resulted in Fawkes being sentenced to death — hung, drawn, and quartered.

In England the 5th of November is still commemorated each year with fireworks and bonfires culminating with the burning of effigies of Guy Fawkes (the guy). The ‘guys’ are made by children by filling old clothes with crumpled newspapers to look like a man. Traditionally British children would go door-to-door with their ‘guys’ asking for “a penny for the guy”, and use the pennies to buy fireworks.

Remember, remember the Fifth of November,
The Gunpowder Treason and Plot,
I see no reason
Why the Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot.

Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes, t’was his intent
To blow up the King and Parli’ment.
Three-score barrels of powder below
To prove old England’s overthrow;

By God’s providence he was catch’d
With a dark lantern and burning match.
Holloa boys, holloa boys, let the bells ring.
Holloa boys, holloa boys, God save the King!

[Source: Wikipedia – Guy Fawkes Night]

Related posts:

Bookmark and Share

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 5th, 2008 at 9:00 am and is filed under Out & About, Sharing.
.

You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

3 responses about “Remember, Remember, the 5th of November”

  1. Chan said:
    November 5th, 2008 at 9:58 am

    I’ve found myself thinking more and more about Guy Fawkes since 9/11/01. Before that, I thought it was rather trite to “celebrate” such a devious man, but I’m beginning to understand that the honor of the day really goes to the all-but-nameless souls who uncovered the plot and saved the day.

  2. Serena (Savvy Verse & Wit) said:
    November 5th, 2008 at 10:37 am

    And we shall commence watching V!

  3. Anna said:
    November 6th, 2008 at 4:18 pm

    Thanks! I love Guy Fawkes night, although it does seem to focus more on huge fireworks displays and less on the bonfire than when I was a kid. I love the film ‘V’ too!

«
»