BANG!
In 1605, a group of Catholic conspirators tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament, hoping to also take out the Protestant King James I (who brought you the standard issue Bible of English Christians). They failed, and the man responsible for actually setting off the explosives, one Guido or Guy Fakes, was apprehended and tortured into revealing the names of his co-conspirators. Our narrow escape from a descent into anarchy is celebrated on November 5th, the day the plot was foiled.
Given the behaviour of our current Government, it's tempting to ask why we celebrate the death of a man who tried to blow up Parliament...but in all probability, had the Gunpowder Plot succeeded, we'd be living under a Catholic Government rather than a Protestant one.
As with most Western festivals, it has its roots in Pagan traditions; specifically the Celtic Samhain (pronounced "sow-in"), from which Halloween also comes. Sacrifices were made to a variety of deities at the start of the winter - a time associated with death and hardship for the ancient Britons.
Bereft of organised bonfires on this auspicious night, Hayley, myself and two blokes called Andy indulged our barbaric Anglo Saxon instincts of fire worship and lager drinking. Photos courtesy of Hayley.
Labels: culture (shock), folklore, fun
posted by Shining Love Pig @ 4:10 pm
sake belches: 2
2 Comments:
Perhaps the ritual burning of the Guy could be seen as some sort of symbolic punishment and warning to deter future conspirators / terrorists? Or, in terms of the pagan roots underpinning the celebration, a scapegoat offering to the Gods is made to appease 'em (a la the Wicker Man). So the fire could be seen as a purification to atone for the sins of the anti-social elements in society. Bonfire Night = party to preserve the status quo, hence Blair and co have nothing to worry about. We keep buying fireworks (which are kind of "fake" unthreatening version of real gunpowder) and they rake in the taxes. Damn good fun though!
Well Anonymous, if indeed that is your name, I suspect that November the 5th would have been a landmark event had Guy Fawkes actually succeeded. In that instance, we'd be celebrating the overthrow of an old oppressive status quo, and the continued glory of the new...assuming another Guy Fawkes hasn't blown that one up.
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