This content is restricted to site members. If you are an existing user, please log in. New users may register below.
Guy Fawkes Night is held annually on November 5th. It may also be called Fireworks Night or Bonfire Night.
It commemorates the arrest of Guy Fawkes and the failure of the so-called ‘Gunpowder plot’ to blow up the English Houses of Parliament in 1605.
History of Guy Fawkes Night
On the night of November 4th 1605, following a tip-off through an anonymous letter, Guy Fawkes was caught guarding thirty-six barrels of gunpowder in a cellar beneath the Houses of Parliament in London.
The conspirators of the Gunpowder Plot were Roman Catholics who opposed the lack of religious tolerance under King James I. They planned to assassinate James and his government by blowing up the House of Lords during the State Opening of Parliament on November 5th 1605. This was to be the start of a series of actions across England that would lead to the installation of James’ daughter Elizabeth as a new Catholic head of state.
Fawkes and seven others were tried and convicted of treason and executed in January 1606. His head was among those displayed on pikes at London Bridge.
- Did you know? Upon his capture, the fake name Guy Fawkes gave to officials was ‘John Johnson’.
Within months Parliament established November 5th as a national day of thanksgiving and it was made illegal not to join in the celebrations. The act remained in force until 1859.
Some see the promotion of the celebrating of the foiling of the Gunpowder plot as a way of having a Protestant celebration as an alternative to the pagan Halloween. Ironically in modern-day England, Guy Fawkes night is becoming less popular with the traditions being swallowed by the more popular Americanized Halloween festivities.
In the graphic novel and movie, V for Vendetta, V wears a mask of Guy Fawkes. This mask was taken up as a symbol of rebellion by the ‘Anonymous’ and ‘Occupy’ movements. The mask became the top-selling mask on Amazon.
A tradition was that children would make a dummy of Guy Fawkes and ask people for money (A‘Penny for the Guy’) which they spend on fireworks. This custom of going from door to door asking for money was already a custom for the poor on All Souls Day (November 2nd) and a similar tradition existed in Ireland during Halloween (October 31st).
As the tradition of making a dummy grew in popularity, ‘Guy’ became a word to mean any oddly dressed person, then in the 20th century it became the commonly used slang word of today as a way of referring to any male person.
Fireworks, Lighting bonfires (on which the ‘Guys’ were placed) and ringing church bells on November 5th also became common traditions. It seems odd to light a fire and set off explosives to mark an event which stopped exactly that happening, but the bonfire tradition at this time of year is a much older custom echoing pagan customs of lighting fires to mark the end of harvest. Bonfires were part of the Irish Halloween tradition that didn’t make it across the Atlantic into the American customs.
Despite his infamy, in 2002, the public voted Fawkes the 30th greatest Brit of all time.
Fireworks displays and bonfire parties are still common across England, but many large organised displays take place on the weekend closest to November 5th.
The “bear” in “Hug a Bear Day” actually refers to Teddy bears. “Teddy” bears are named after the 26th President of the United States, Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt, who served as President from 1901 to 1909.
Theodore Roosevelt’s association with bears is based on a famous story from November 1902 when he spared the life of one during a hunting expedition. This story was featured as a cartoon in the Washington Post, which inspired two New York City store owners to create the first “Teddy” bear toy.
These days Hug a Bear Day isn’t as much an acknowledgement of not shooting bears as it is promoting the benefits of hugging – there’s a reason they are called cuddly toys.
Traditional British puddings and desserts are usually warming, comforting and nostalgic for most Britons. Here we feature several classics that are scoffed with relish across the nation.
Crumble
A crumble is a dish that can be made in a sweet or savoury version, although the sweet version is much more common. A sweet variety usually contains stewed fruit topped with a crumbly mixture of fat, flour, and sugar. Common fruits used are apple, rhubarb and plum.
Spotted Dick
Spotted dick is a traditional British pudding, traditionally made with suet and dried fruit and often served with custard. Spotted refers to the fruit and dick is a regional term for a pudding.
Eton Mess
Eton mess is a traditional English dessert consisting of a mixture of strawberries, meringue, and whipped cream. First mentioned in print in 1893, it is commonly believed to originate from Eton College and is served at the annual cricket match against the pupils of Harrow School.
Eve’s Pudding
Eve’s pudding, also known as Mother Eve’s pudding, is a type of traditional British pudding made from apples baked under a Victoria sponge cake mixture. The name is a reference to the biblical Eve.
Jam Roly-Poly
Jam roly-poly is a traditional British pudding dating back to the early 19th century. It is a flat-rolled suet pudding, which is then spread with jam and rolled up, similar to a Swiss roll, then steamed or baked.
Treacle Sponge
A treacle sponge pudding is a traditional British dessert dish consisting of a steamed sponge cake with treacle cooked on top of it, sometimes also poured over it and often served with hot custard.
Trifle
Made with fruit, a thin layer of sponge fingers commonly soaked in sherry or another fortified wine, and custard, the contents of a trifle are highly variable; many varieties exist, some forgoing fruit entirely and instead using other ingredients, such as chocolate, coffee or vanilla.
In the UK, the official ceremonies related to the end of the hostilities in the first world war take place on the Sunday nearest November 11th. Armistice Day is still observed on November 11th. It is not a public holiday, but many people will still observe a minutes silence at 11AM GMT.
Tempranillo is a black grape variety widely grown to make full-bodied red wines in its native Spain. Its name is the diminutive of the Spanish temprano, a reference to the fact that it ripens several weeks earlier than most Spanish red grapes.
Tempranillo is the most important grape in Spain.
Tempranillo day was started by TAPAS or Tempranillo Advocates, Producers And Amigos who passionately push this dry climate Spanish variety.
Kindness is seeing the best in others when they can’t see if themselves.
Remembrance Day is commemorated on November 11th each year and marks the end of World War I in 1918.
The intention of the day is to remember the fallen on both sides in the ‘Great War’.
In the UK, the official commemoration was moved to the Sunday closest to November in 11th 1939, to avoid any disruption to production in factories supporting the war effort. This Sunday observance has remained since, though November 11th may also be marked with a moment of silence at 11am.
Children are invited to dress up in their Pudsey and Blush outfits on Friday 19 November or anytime that week for Children in Need. Yellow and Brown clothes suitable too. Don’t forget to name the belongings.
A day to enjoy the making, baking and eating of nutritious homemade bread.
People have been making bread for at least 14,000 years, that’s about 4,000 years longer than they’ve been farming.
Since the dawn of civilization, baking fresh bread was part of the daily routine for most families.
While bakers took on the task, the invention of the bread maker machine in the 1980s has seen a resurgence in interest in making homemade bread.
