- Remember, remember the Fifth of November,
- The Gunpowder Treason and Plot,
- I can think of 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!
- Remember, remember the fifth of November
- Gunpowder, treason and plot.
- I see no reason, why gunpowder treason
- Should ever be forgot.
- Remember, remember, the fifth of November,
- Gunpowder, treason and plot!
- A stick or a stake for King James' sake
- Will you please to give us a fagot
- If you can't give us one, we'll take two;
- The better for us and the worse for you!
In the United Kingdom, celebrations take place in towns and villages across the country in the form of both private and civic events. They involve fireworks displays and the building of bonfires on which traditionally "guys" are burnt, although this practice is not observed regularly in modern times. These "guys" are traditionally effigies ofGuy Fawkes, the most famous of the Gunpowder Plot conspirators. Although the night is celebrated in York(Fawkes' hometown) some there do not burn his effigy, most notably those from his old school.[1][2] Before the fifth, children traditionally use the "guys" to request a "penny for the guy" in order to raise funds with which to buy fireworks.
In the United Kingdom, there are several foods that are traditionally consumed on Guy Fawkes Night (most people no longer follow this tradition):
- black treacle goods such as bonfire toffee[3] and parkin,[4]
- toffee apples[5][6]
- baked potatoes, which are wrapped in foil and cooked in the bonfire or its embers[7][8]
- black peas with vinegar[9]
In the Black Country, it is a traditional night for eating groaty pudding.[citation needed]
In Sussex, it is a major festival that centres on Lewes necessitating the closure of the town centre. The night also commemorates the Glorious Revolution and 17 local Protestant martyrs that were burnt at the stake during Marian Persecutions by the CatholicQueen Mary I[10]. The night begins with torchlight processions in costume by a number of local bonfire societies and culminates in six separate bonfires where effigies of Guy Fawkes, Pope Paul V and topical personalities are destroyed by firework and flame.
In Scotton, the locals do not burn effigies of Guy Fawkes due to the village's connection to him. Up until recently, the Catholic school Stonyhurst College, would avoid any celebration, because of their connection to the other plotters (three of them went to the school).
In Ottery St Mary, in Devon, burning barrels of tar are carried through the streets:
- "Ottery St. Mary is internationally renowned for its tar barrels, an old custom said to have originated in the 17th century, and which is held on November 5th each year. Each of Ottery's central public houses sponsors a single barrel. In the weeks prior to the day of the event, November 5th, the barrels are soaked with tar. The barrels are lit outside each of the pubs in turn and once the flames begin to pour out, they are hoisted up onto local people's backs and shoulders. The streets and alleys around the pubs are packed with people, all eager to feel the lick of the barrels flame. Seventeen Barrels all in all are lit over the course of the evening. In the afternoon and early evening there are women's and boy's barrels, but as the evening progresses the barrels get larger and by midnight they weigh at least 30 kilos. A great sense of camaraderie exists between the 'Barrel Rollers', despite the fact that they tussle constantly for supremacy of the barrel. In most cases, generations of the same family carry the barrels and take great pride in doing so. ... Opinion differs as to the origin of this festival of fire, but the most widely accepted version is that it began as a pagan ritual that cleanses the streets of evil spirits.[11]
Guy Fawkes Night is less commonly celebrated in Northern Ireland, where autumn fireworks and bonfires are more commonly associated withHallowe'en[12].
borrowed from Wikipedia :D
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