By Mary Kate O’Toole
Guy Fawkes Day was celebrated on Nov. 5 to commemorate an unsuccessful attack on the British Parliament. Courtesy of flickr
LONDON — While Nov. 5 is a rather uneventful night following the weekend-long festivities of Halloween in America, it has traditionally been a much bigger holiday in England. Guy Fawkes Day, also known as Bonfire Night, was celebrated all over England this past weekend with fireworks, some bonfires and the burning of effigies.
Long before there was V for Vendetta, Catholic revolutionaries devised a plot to burn down the Houses of Parliament in London on Nov. 5, 1605. When the Church of England was at its strongest, Catholics were persecuted and marginalized during the long reign of Queen Elizabeth I and her successor, James I. A group of conspirators, led by a man named
Robert Catesby, decided that violent action was the only answer.
However, the plot to destroy the Houses was foiled when British authorities stormed the cellar of Parliament in the early morning on November 5th. Thirty-six barrels of gunpowder were found, along with conspirator Guy Fawkes. Fawkes, along with his accomplices, was tortured and hanged for his crime.
To celebrate the safety of the king, Britons burned bonfires on the night of the fifth, a tradition that continues today. Originally called Gunpowder Treason Day, the British holiday was also the occasion for often violent class-based riots in some areas or antigovernment demonstrations. Effigies of Guy Fawkes were burned, often along with effigies of the pope (often Pope Paul V, leader at the time of the gunpowder plot) and some leading politicians. Though it is rarely done anymore, it used to be common practice for British children to go around with homemade effigies of Guy Fawkes asking for ‘a penny for the guy’ to spend on fireworks.
While the anti-Catholic sentiments that once dominated Nov. 5 celebrations are hardly noticeable, groups such as the hacker group, Anonymous, have backpacked off of the anti-government sentiments of the original conspirators. The Million Masks March, as it was called, was celebrated in cities across the world this past Thursday, taking place here in London’s Trafalgar Square. Protesters wore Guido (a name Guy Fawkes once used for himself) masks which were popularized by V for Vendetta. Anonymous has appropriated these masks for their anti-capitalist cause, and this year’s masked march promoted the group’s anti-austerity and anti-establishment cause. London’s march on Thursday culminated in 50 arrests made after protesters turned violent, burning a police car and throwing fireworks at policemen sent to surround the area.
Although revolutionary ideals are still part of the holiday’s tradition, most Londoners celebrated this year’s Bonfire Night much more peacefully. Firework displays were going on in parks around the city all weekend long, and tons of people turned out to see them despite the mud and rain. We headed out Saturday night to Victoria Park in East London, which was absolutely packed with students and families, and thoroughly enjoyed the colorful display.
Though the spread of American Halloween traditions has somewhat encroached on England’s Bonfire Night celebrations, November Fifth is still a memorable weekend for Brits and tourists alike.
