It's 5th November so that can only mean one thing - Guy Fawkes Night! Unfortunately we won't be able to celebrate tonight, but the fella and I hope to have a very small, socially-distanced gathering at the weekend, and I can't wait to show our friends how a traditional Bonfire Night in England is done. Or perhaps I should say used to be done..?
It's left me wondering just how much of a big deal folk back in Britain make of this day. Even when I lived in England, the last few years before arriving in America, hardly anyone made a fuss of the fact that it was Bonfire Night. In fact the last public fireworks display I went to was back in 2012. So what's going on - do people not celebrate Bonfire Night anymore? Oh no, this is not another thing we can blame on the pandemic. It seems people have lost their enthusiasm for rockets and Catherine wheels for a while now.
I have very fond memories of Guy Fawkes Night when I was a child. The shops would be jampacked with fireworks which didn't stay on the shelves for very long; people would be having bonfires in their gardens and having the neighbours round; over at my grandad's house, my aunts and uncles - who have always been a bunch of big kids - eagerly set off fireworks from a bumper selection box of delights. And at our house, my sister and I were excitedly awaiting the return of our dad from work - as we knew he'd be bringing back at least a couple of packets of sparklers. And because we liked having him home, of course! Mum would make sure we were well wrapped up as we headed out into the garden for the only time we were ever to see our name in lights courtesy of the sparklers. Oh and Mum'd be on stand-by with a bucket of water - just in case!
Although I have great memories of celebrating Bonfire Night, I'm well aware that the popularity of this great British event has declined over the years. Part of the reason is concerns over safety; for a long time there have been petitions to ban the sale of fireworks to the general public, and for public fire work displays to be cancelled. And as the world becomes more and more Americanized, Halloween seems to have replaced Guy Fawkes Night as the main autumn event. Furthermore, with just about everyone working longer, more unsociable hours these days (I know I did and still do sometimes!) Bonfire Night has become something people literally don't have the time for - especially if it falls on a weekday.
Check out our post on Bonfire Night traditions that we all used to delight in back in the day.
Happy Bonfire Night!
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