Guy Fawkes Night

It's that time of year again - when Brits wrapped up in woolly hats and gloves gather in parks and gardens to watch dummies burn on bonfires and fireworks light up the sky. Get your toffee apples and sparklers ready, for Bonfire Night is almost here. The jovial atmosphere is a far cry from the origins of November the 5th, which are shrouded in religious tension and a foiled assassination attempt. November the 5th is the date when Brits commemorate events that nearly changed the course of the nation's history. Remember, remember! The fifth of November, The Gunpowder treason and plot; I know of no reason Why the Gunpowder treason Should ever be forgot! Guy Fawkes and his companions Did the scheme contrive, To blow the King and Parliament All up alive

It is perhaps surprising that Fawkes and not the leader of the plot is remembered, but it was Fawkes who was caught red-handed under the Houses of Parliament, refused to speak under torture, and was publicly executed.

Through the centuries the Guy Fawkes legend has become ever-more entrenched, and by the 19th Century it was his effigy that was being placed on the bonfires that were lit annually to commemorate the failure of the plot. Nowadays, according to the British Pyrotechnists Association, while approximately £40m – split equally on consumer items and professional displays - was spent on fireworks in the UK. And according to the results of a survey, asking adults in Great Britain if they celebrate Guy Fawkes Night, 17 percent of respondents said that they celebrate Guy Fawkes night every year.