Guy Fawkes Night

Remember, remember the fifth of November,
Gunpowder treason and plot.
We see no reason
Why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot!

Anyone ever seen “V for Vendetta?” That’s the only reason I knew about Guy Fawkes before coming to England. I’m not sure if locals remember why they celebrate, but it’s supposed to be a celebration that this treasonous plot didn’t actually go through.

Our Guy Fawkes Day was pretty boring. We had our living room painted that day, so we hung out in the conservatory for about 6 hours. I watched “Crazy Stupid Love” on Andrew’s phone, sorted coupons, and knitted. See? I don’t get bored. 🙂 Our living room went from cream to a dark taupe:

While I was anxious for our household goods to arrive, I was also relieved that we got the room painted before all the furniture came. It would have been a hassle to move it all.

So after the room got painted, we got cleaned up, and we ate dinner, we drove into Brandon, a nearby town, to see what Guy Fawkes Night was all about. They hosted the celebration in a big field with several food/drink vendors and some activities for the kids.

They were just getting the bonfire started when we arrived:

They had it roped off so you couldn’t get too close, but even standing right by the rope, it was REALLY hot! We stood there for awhile to warm up, but then we had to move away, because our faces were roasting.

A lot of the kids had glow sticks and light-up toys, and some had sparklers too. Next year I want sparklers too! 🙂

The bonfire got pretty huge… I don’t think I was expecting such a big fire, since this isn’t a very big town!

They burn a dummy, which is supposed to represent Guy Fawkes. Kind of macabre, but this holiday does originate in the early 1600s.

Next they started shooting off fireworks! It reminded me of our 4th of July celebration, except 1) we were wearing coats, and 2) the fireworks could start at 7:15 because it was already completely dark out!

We had a really fun time, although next year I hope we can go with some friends. We enjoyed our first British holiday! 🙂