On Monday, November 5, Rob, Jamie, Alissa and myself decided we should take part in the festivities surrounding the conspirator Guy Fawkes. We met up in Gosforth, ate some Indian food, and then made our way to Gosforth Park. For those of you who don't know, I will summarize a bit about Guy Fawkes and why the Brits still celebrate this particular day in history. On November 5, 1605 Guy Fawkes was caught trying to blow up Parliament. He and some fellow Catholics had been devising a plan for some time about blowing up Parliament. Guy Fawkes got a hold of a large amount of explosives that were meant to be put underneath Parliament. This was called the Gunpowder Plot. So the Brits still celebrate the failure of the Gunpowder Plot 400 years later. For those of you who don't know much about British history, England was technically a Protestant country at that time. Henry VIII had dissolved the Roman Catholic church in the 16th century, and claimed himself as the Head of the Church of England. This also would have been the time of the Reformation. So of course, there was a lot of religious confusion during this century, and later. Catholics came to be seen as suspicious, and there was a general prejudice against them. Elizabeth I died in 1603, and her successor was James I. Elizabeth was the daughter of Henry VIII, and a Protestant. As was James I. So, the English were happy to foil the plans of Guy Fawkes and his conspirators. Which apparently touched a cord that lasts till this day.
On Bonfire Night, an effigy of Guy Fawkes is burned in the giant bonfire (we didn't see the effigy :( ). There is an atmosphere of revelry and fun. There was also a huge crowd, from little kids, to adults, to older people. After a time, they did fireworks, which were glorious! We were literally right underneath the fireworks, which made for an awesome show. It was just like the 4th of July, only not! It was definitely worth attending!
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