Remember, Remember the Fifth of November... Well, right now we're just trying to remember the once long-held traditions of Guy Fawkes Night and trying to work out where they've gone!
Those of us who grew up in Britain prior to the millenium will be very familiar with Bonfire/Guy Fawkes/Fireworks Night, and the set of traditions we used to embrace wholeheartedly every year on 5th November. It's a loud, colourful, riotous celebration of the foiling of the Gunpowder Plot that has been around for over 400 years... but is it still going strong?
Although 5th November is officially still Bonfire Night, it seems that no one really makes a fuss of the event the way they once did - or at least the way us kids of the eighties remember it. Over the years, it seems as though the popularity of Guy Fawkes Night has fizzled out like a faulty Catherine Wheel. We take a look at memorable traditions and events that heralded the arrival of Bonfire Night.
1. THEMED LESSONS AT SCHOOL
The countdown to Bonfire Night began with a series of Bonfire Night themed lessons at primary school. First we'd get to learn about the history of the event as well as understanding who that Guy Fawkes dude was and why there is an event named after him. Then for English, we'd learn to recite the Fifth of November poem (come on - you can't seriously expect us to remember it from the year before) as well as a spot of creative writing where we'd have to come up with a story about Fireworks Night, or we'd have to do an essay about how we were going to celebrate. Arts and crafts would see us making fabulous pieces of artwork to put up around the classroom, and if our school was lucky enough to have one of those dinky little stoves, we might do a spot of Bonfire baking or confectionary making. Toffee apple, anyone?
But the most important of all these lessons, was the special class on fireworks safety in which 'Miss' or 'Sir' explained the dos and don'ts of handling fireworks so that our evening would end with us tucked up in bed with yet another cup of cocoa and not in A&E. And we didn't half learn a lot from those lessons: Keep pets indoors; never relight a used firework; stand two arms length away from others when using sparklers... (if only we knew how handy this lesson in social distancing was going to be!)
2. PUBLIC SAFETY INFORMATION
Another sign that Bonfire Night was on the way, were all the safety adverts on the telly. If you were a child of the 70s, 80s, or 90s, you might remember those public safety information broadcasts that appeared during the advert breaks, once again highlighting the importance of staying safe while enjoying the fireworks... you know, just in case you weren't paying attention to 'Miss' in class!
They may have been a bit alarming, especially for a five year old, but the shock factor pretty much did what it was supposed to and visibly demonstrated to the young ones (and no doubt a few adults!) why it was so important to adhere to the rules.
3. PENNY FOR THE GUY
How many of you used to get all crafty by fashioning a dummy or a 'Guy' out of old clothes and scraps of fabric stuffed with newspapers? During the latter part of the twentieth century you knew November had well and truly arrived when you'd see groups of kids wheeling their 'Guy' around in a wheelbarrow, or sat on the street with their fabulous bit of artwork, asking passers-by for a 'penny for the Guy' which would go towards their fireworks-and-sweets fund. But poor old Guy didn't fare too well by the end of the evening, as he was always thrown on top of the bonfire while everyone watched it burn in a rather symbolic gesture.
This is a tradition that's pretty much forgotten -in some cases on purpose, as some parents don't like the rather sinister concept of burning an effigy so prefer not to get their children involved in this tradition. Furthermore Halloween - which takes place just a few days before Bonfire Night - has pretty much replaced the November event in the UK with regards to it's celebratory nature, and most youngsters would rather use their time selecting or making a costume than creating a dummy to wheel around in grandad's wonky old wheelbarrow.
And in any case these savvy kids know that they can get way more trick or treating than getting a penny for the Guy - which today would have to be at least a quid!
4. BACK GARDEN FIREWORKS
Fireworks serve as a reminder of the gunpowder that was stored in the cellar under the House of Lords, and for many of us, our childhood memories of Guy Fawkes Night involved our entire family standing in our back yard, wrapped up warm, while our parents treated us to a mini fireworks display. Remember those selection boxes of chocs we used to get (and still get) at Christmas? Well for Guy Fawkes Night, we got selection boxes of fireworks which we would all huddle around and decide which one we were going to let off first. Oh and let's not forget the packets of sparklers - how else were we going to learn how to write our names?
But over the years, these back yard mini extravaganzas have become rare due to issues such as noise, distressed pets, and fears over safety, especially where small children are concerned. It's believed that more people are injured at these small, household events than at properly organized public displays, which is one of the reasons why people prefer to go to these public events.
But while the excitement over Bonfire night may have died down over the years, there are still many others who look forward to this night, and for whom the act of letting off fireworks (safely of course) is connected to pure nostalgia as all the childhood, family memories come flooding back. It's also a lot more personal as you're with family, friends and neighbours rather than a bunch of strangers.
5. BONFIRES
Even if you didn't rush out and grab a pack of sparklers, and you were too late for the last fireworks selection box, at the very least you had a bonfire in your backyard. You would often invite friends and neighbours and people would sit around the fire, drinking mugs of soup or hot chocolate while cooking sausages and jacket spuds, or toasting marshmallows. And yes, somebody probably would bring out a guitar. It's just too bad it wasn't Slash!
But over the years, these domestic bonfire celebrations have become increasingly rare, partly due to the ambiguous nature of the legalities regarding backyard bonfires, and partly because Bonfire Night often falls on a weeknight, when it's often impractical to organize a get-together.
6. FIREWORK DISPLAYS
Public firework displays are still being held, and out of all the Bonfire Night traditions, this is one that has probably endured the longest. If you live in a city like London, you'll be lucky to have a balcony much less a backyard! And if you do have a garden, chances are that it won't be big enough for you to set a few incendiaries alight. So this is where firework displays come in handy and provide for a spectacular show with a vibrant atmosphere, lively crowd, music, and refreshments. It sure beats you have to organize that lot yourself and queue up at Tescos!
In the eighties and nineties, although thankfully not a regular occurrence, it wasn't unheard of for accidents to have happened at these firework displays. But today due to the tightening up of health and safety measures, these incidents are even rarer, and as a result most people think that these organised events are a better, safer option than private backyard bonfires.
7. BONFIRE GRUB
If you're going to have a small gathering in order to celebrate an event, you've got to have a good selection of food, right? And no Bonfire Night celebration would be complete without some tasty morsels or warming liquids to tuck into/slurp.
There are some food and drinks that typically used to be served during Bonfire Night celebrations. There were the obligatory sausages, warm bread rolls, jacket potatoes, and soup - which today would probably be something fancy and homemade like roasted butternut squash and chilli, or wild mushroom and truffle. Well back in our day it was just Bachelor's Cup-A-Soup. But we had a wide array of flavours!
We would also toast marshmallows on skewers, and gorge on other sweet treats like Bonfire toffee or toffee apples. Then there were regional delicacies like Parkin (Yorkshire and Lancashire) or grey peas and bacon (the Black Country.) And lets not forget hot choccie and spiced apple toddy for warming beverages.
But over the years, tastes have changed and much of this classic bonfire fare has given way to American style hamburgers or pizza which these days are much more popular and vastly consumed than... Cup-A-Soup!
What childhood memories of Guy Fawkes Night do you have? What are your favourite traditions?
Photos: Pixabay and YouTube
Word cloud and Blog graphics: Angel Noire