Bonfire night has come and gone with a bang. Extravagant fireworks were released into the night sky and danced away joyfully into the darkness, only to be followed by yet another firework. Celebratory music challenged the joyful fireworks and created a roaring cloud of liveliness. In every park in every neighbourhood candyfloss was bought, hotdogs were made and laughter was heard throughout the city of London. However, one must wonder where all of this joy stemmed from. Why and what do we celebrate on this cold November night?

Although some may have a vague memory of the meaning behind the celebration from their Year 8 history class, most of us blindly and eagerly enjoy Bonfire Night with no desire for a reason to do so. 

The Bonfire Night that we now either love or despise due to the horrific inability to sleep peacefully that comes with it – the downside to fireworks! – originates from an attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament in 1605… cheery!

In this period, England was a Protestant country ruled by King James I. Catholic plotters, led by a man named ‘Guy Fawkes’, wanted to restore England to its former Catholic rule, leading to the Gunpowder Plot.

The Gunpowder Plot involved 36 barrels of gunpowder being hidden and later lit up in the cellars beneath the Houses of Parliament to kill all those in power and in doing so, regain Catholicism in English rule.

However, like all great plots, the Gunpowder Plot was foiled by a member of the plotting group giving a warning in the form of a letter to a member of the Parliament, leading to the arrest of Guy Fawkes and the continuation of Protestant England. Guy Fawkes and any other known plotters were executed immediately and the plot was no more.

In order to celebrate the failure of this plot and the safety of the King, bonfires were lit. Soon people began creating and burning effigies of Guy Fawkes and fireworks were later added to the celebratory mix.

Nowadays many question if the people reacted this way back in 1605 to simply celebrate the execution of Guy Fawkes and the safety of their King, or if they respected his plan to change the government and wished the plot successful after all. Something to think about under the colourful night sky next November, Remember Remember!