Halloween, fireworks, bonfires and Guy Fawkes, they all go hand in hand every October and November don’t they? But, do you know the origins of Guy Fawkes and how it all came about? Even though the holiday idea of Guy Fawkes is fun for all, the origins are quite gruesome..
The (failed) gunpowder plot started over 400 years ago with a man called Guy Fawkes in 1605. The aim of the plot was to bring down the British Government at that time by burning Parliament (with those in power inside the buildings) upon its opening on the 5th November. Guy was found that cold November night guarding gunpowder explosives which had been rigged up to explode under the parliament buildings. Studies carried out in later years suggest that if the plan had worked, the Houses of Parliament, along with Westminster Abbey and anything within a 40 mile radius would have been destroyed.
Although he wasn’t the mastermind behind the plot, Guy Fawkes was quite literally the ‘fall guy’ he was arrested, brutally tortured and sentenced to death in an attempt to ward off any future potential assassins but as it turned out, Guy would never carry out his full sentence and jumped from the gallows of his own accord, breaking his own neck.
As a mark of solidarity and relief that the plot against their King, James had failed, the people of London lit bonfires to celebrate the foiled attempt on their leaders life and just a few months later, a legal Act was passed; ‘The Observance of 5th November Act’ meant that the public were enforced to light bonfires and show their gratitude on the same date each year; this became known as ‘Thanksgiving‘ and later became Bonfire Night or Guy Fawkes.
Although the original plot and the following Act was very much religion based, over the years, Guy Fawkes night has gradually lost its religious meanings and has become a traditional evening of fun and fireworks for the family with Guy Fawkes as the famous burning effigy and forever known as the burning face of the failed gunpowder plot…
Will you be celebrating Bonfire Night this year? We hope you enjoy the fun and fireworks safely with your family from the team at HoldenCopley.