A Gardeners Forum Forums Members History Forum Life 2005 Guy Fawkes.

Celebration. Should we abolish it? my cats and many other animals were terrified, think of the poor horses in an open field with no cover. Also as an ashmatic l suffered terribly.
We have had a week of Duvali, Halloween, Ede, guy Fawkes night, might also say the fireworks have been going off for the last three weeks.
Suffering Doreen.

I remember Guy Fawkes night very well...to those of you that don't know there are lots of huge bonfires made in celebration of back when Guy Fawkes was captured. It's an old celebration that dates back to the 1600's sometime I think.

There are fireworks, and usually a pretend Guy Fawkes dummy thrown onto the bonfire....

My grandparents poor dog Rex who was blind and deaf from old age somehow got out one Guy Fawkes night and wandered into a bonfire and died....

Hi Jogger
Yes I think we should. Here is what happened in Manchester.
10 people injured, including a man who may lose his eye.
1043 weekend calls to Greater Manchester Fire Brigade.
13 attacks on firefighters, including a death threat and bricks hurled at crews.
124 bonfires get out of hand.
37 incidents of fireworks being used dangerously.
A flood of calls to the ambulance service.
And this is a night of fun?

Wow.....that's terrible.....Sounds like if they can't get things under control better than the celebrations should be put to an end.

That doesn't sound like a celebration at all...more like a National disaster!!!!

It also sounds like the last night of the World Series - remember the riots in Boston last year.

I was talking to my parents about this and they said that in a way if it were to end it would be sad because it's such a part of the English culture...That when they were young things were just a lot of fun, and not all of the problems that it sounds like it creates nowadays. Mom was talking about how they did the Maypole thing too back when she was little....

You know on the 4th of July(with us being English we are basically celebrating independance from ourselves --how funny is that?) there are really stupid things that happen over here too....Drunken fights, people getting hurt by all the fireworks, etc.....I guess any type of celebration you have you'll always have some idiots that screw it up for everyone else. :p

Loz and Princessazea.
Yes it is a part of English culture, and l agree we should keep it, lt is just the MORON's who ruin it, Princess did you read about the little dog that the thug's (that is to good a name for them) blew up with fireworks? and the horse also
It does seem the one culture of our's that gives the SCUM OF THE EARTH, a reason to enjoy themselves.
Doreen.

Pardon my ignorance, but....

Who the heck is Guy Fawkes and why should we even think about celebrating him?

In 1605 Guy Fawkes was involved in the Gunpowder Plot...conspiring with his cohorts to blow up the Houses Of Parliament with barrels of gunpowder in turn killing King James I during the inguaral opening of Parliament.

They wanted to kill the king because they felt that he went back on promises to stop the persecution of Catholics.

Before it happened some consipirators escaped and reported to the King what was supposed to happen. Fawkes was taken to the Tower of London in chains and was hung, drawn and quartered.

Records date back to celebrations as early as 1607--James I declared the 5th of November a national holiday in celebration of the foiled plot and the rest is history....


Poem I learned as a child...

Remember, remember the 5th of November
Gunpowder, treason, and plot.
I see no good reason why gundpowder, treason
Should ever be forgot.

Sometime, I really feel like an ignorant American. I knew about the dummy in the bonfire, but for some reason, I thought he was a fictional guy.

Wow Loz did you know that not alot of people know the history about that? If you asked, they would just say its tradition. So if you think about it, it all comes down to religion!!

Hi Jogger
I did see about the horse, but not about the dog. People can be so cruel!!

Loz, great you still remember your English History Do you remember how the kids would make a Guy, take it out, park it outside a shop, and ask people "Penny for the guy", when l was a child we used to love making the Guy, and loved the money even more
Funny thing is, l have not seen one this year or last year. Princess, have you seen one in the last couple of years?. As l am writing this would you believe there are fireworks still going off :rolleyes:
Doreen.

I haven't seen one this year. I remember when I was a kid and we got one of the kids dressed up as a guy put her in a pram and went round the houses saying "Penny for the guy" she had to keep very still. Yeah I can believe it jogger more so at the weekend.
And they let fireworks off at New year as well!!

Yep I remember the tradition of "Penny for the guy"--so that isn't done at all anymore I guess?

It's sort of a strange celebration really when you know the history behind it....

You are right Loz, l wonder how it started.
OK more digging, will have to find out
Doreen.