Previous Bonfire Nights

Today is the 5th of November. For the Americans, that date will have little significance, and indeed, for many people in the UK, it is of little significance other than that some folks have bonfires, and that the buying of fireworks empties many wallets.

The November 5th bonfire and the burning of a 'Guy' relate to events that occurred in London in 1605. 

Wikipedia says this about Guy Fawkes: 

Guy Fawkes (13 April 1570 – 31 January 1606), also known as Guido Fawkes, the name he adopted while fighting for the Spanish in the Low Countries, was a member of a group of provincial English Catholics who planned the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605.

Fawkes was born and educated in York. His father died when Fawkes was eight years old, after which his mother married a recusant Catholic. Fawkes later converted to Catholicism and left for the continent, where he fought in the Eighty Years' War on the side of Catholic Spain against Protestant Dutch reformers. He travelled to Spain to seek support for a Catholic rebellion in England but was unsuccessful. He later met Thomas Wintour, with whom he returned to England.

Wintour introduced Fawkes to Robert Catesby, who planned to assassinate King James I and restore a Catholic monarch to the throne. The plotters secured the lease to an undercroft beneath the House of Lords, and Fawkes was placed in charge of the gunpowder they stockpiled there. Prompted by the receipt of an anonymous letter, the authorities searched Westminster Palace during the early hours of 5 November, and found Fawkes guarding the explosives. Over the next few days, he was questioned and tortured, and eventually he broke. Immediately before his execution on 31 January, Fawkes jumped from the scaffold where he was to be hanged and broke his neck, thus avoiding the agony of the mutilation that followed.

Fawkes became synonymous with the Gunpowder Plot, the failure of which has been commemorated in England since 5 November 1605. His effigy is traditionally burned on a bonfire, commonly accompanied by a firework display.

Whether people are remembering these particular events or not, many people have great fun with bonfires, guys, and fireworks. Here are some of our photos from the past couple of years ...


The morning of our bonfire: the sun was shining and it was a perfect November morning.

Beginning to get the bonfire shape..

and kids on top of the world.

The centre pole arriving...

...and the gaffer keeping an eye on proceedings

Later that evening ...

As the day goes on, and the bonfire is set up - with the centre pole firmly set, and Guy's seating arrangement sorted - work progresses to making the Guy.

(the boots will not go up in flames, and he will have a head)

This photo was taken before 4.30pm and the sun is setting. I guess we're kinda far north right enough, but I can't get over how quickly time passes. It seems only weeks since we were going to bed at night and the sun still hadn't set. 

Cousins. And they all live within a couple of miles of each other...

Guy seemed to have it sorted this year. He was so high above the flames

In the end, the centre pole fell before Guy went up in flames...

He fell to the ground...

Is he alive?

The Builder does some quick CPR, but it's all to no avail.

Sorry, Guy, but this is to be your fate.

You don't attempt to blow up our Parliament and think you're gonna get off with it.

Not back then, anyway.

And then it's time for some fireworks.

I wasn't able to get good photos of the fireworks at all, but this photo of our fireworks, with our house in the background, was posted on the Eoropaidh Tearoom site.

This gives a better flavour of what we had.