The night of November 5 is a very special one in the UK, also known as Guy Fawkes night or Bonfire night. It commemorates the failed Gunpowder Plot attack, which attempted to blow up the British Parliament. Today in Supercurioso we intend to delve into the answer to what is celebrated on November 5, and for this reason we will review not only the history of the night of the bonfires, but we will also reflect on the resemblance it has to a revolutionary film, v for Vendetta (by the way, do not miss this compilation with the Best V for Vendetta Phrases). Can you come with us?
Guy Fawkes Night and the Gunpowder Plot
Talk about who was guy fawkes is to recognize the existence of an interesting and controversial character in England. Guy Fawkes night has a peculiar origin, which is related to the character’s own life. This man was born in London in 1570. He received a strong Protestant education, but once his father died and his mother remarried, he was also determined by the Catholic influence of his grandparents. This would be crucial in his decision to go to the War of Flanders, in which he fought alongside the Spanish against Protestantism in the Netherlands. There he changed his name to Guido, and ended up leading a plot against the British government that was called the Gunpowder Plot.
We tell you a little about the context: Back in 1605 not everyone was happy with the fact that King James I of England and VI of Scotland outside of Protestant religion instead of Catholic. For this reason, a group of provincial Catholics, among whose leaders was Guy Fawkes, planned to end the king’s life in order to install another head of state, but in this case it would be a Catholic (curiously, they wanted this person to be Elisabeth, the nine-year-old daughter of the king).
The way to achieve it (or, as you see, to try) was through the plan to blow up the palace of Westmister, which houses the seat of the English Parliament, with a lot of gunpowder. However, the plan was reduced to resounding failure when the authorities received an anonymous note reporting the attack. The police then arrested one of the members of the group, Guy Fawkes, who was discovered with 36 barrels of gunpowder stored, more than enough to kill Westmister and not leave a puppet with a head.
What happened to Guy Fawkes?
But, why from this discovery was Guy Fawkes night celebrated? What happened after this arrest? Well, he was convicted of high treason. The sentence was to be the victim of one of the harshest executions of the time and that was reserved for the greatest crimes: being hanged, dragged and quartered. As you can imagine, he wasn’t even merciful, as the poor victim was dragged on horseback to the place where he was to be executed, where he was hung from a ladder, hanged nearly to death, and then quartered.
Luckily, Guy Fawkes was spared the last part of the ordeal, because when he was going to be hanged, too weak, he fell and broke his neck. Even so, his body was dismembered and displayed in various parts of the kingdom to show others how traitors were treated. Curiously, and despite the fact that the Conspiracy was led by another person, Robert Catesby, it was Guy Fawkes who came to personify the attempted attack and be the undisputed protagonist of the night that is celebrated on November 5 throughout the entire country.
How did Bonfire Night come to be celebrated?
After this episode, the people began to want to celebrate the failed attempt against their king. It was what would soon receive in popular culture, the name of Guy Fawkes night. Although there are not many details about the celebration of the first years (the first one dates back to the same year of the death of Guy Fawkes), it is known that they have always been with bonfires and that an effigy or doll of the poor unfortunate has been burned.
With its ups and downs, the celebration has survived to this day. It is usually celebrated with fireworks and bonfires in which apples are cooked and from which other foods are typical, such as toffee from the bonfire, which tastes a lot like molasses. This festival has even been exported to other countries such as AustraliaCanada, New Zealand or the United States.
The relationship between the night of the bonfires and V for Vendetta
Although Guy Fawkes Night, also known as Bonfire Night, has appeared in numerous literary outlets, perhaps the most famous being the comic (and later, movie) by Alan Moore and David Lloyd. It tells the story of V, an anarchist who wears a Guy Fawkes mask and who wants to end the regime of a dystopian United Kingdom by blowing up Westminster Palace with dynamite. By the way, one of the curiosities related to the work is that the cartoonist, David Lloyd, loved the film, while the screenwriter, Alan Moore, hated it so much that he even asked that his name be removed from the credits.
It was from this comic and the movie that the Guy Fawkes mask became popular as a form of protest, at the party that is celebrated every November 5. For example, it was adopted by the famous Internet group Anonymous, which wore the mask during anti-Scientology protests.
Over time, in fact, the mask has become a symbol of the popular revolution, present during major events such as the Egyptian revolution or the Occupy Wall Street movement. In addition, the mask is the best-selling object of this type on Amazon. The production company, Time Warner, has his image rights and receives a small percentage of each sale.
The story about what is celebrated on November 5 and the meaning of Guy Fawkes night is exciting and very curious, since it is still present today, despite the fact that the death of this character occurred more than five centuries ago, which today it has become a symbol of protest. And you, Did you know the story of the night of the bonfires in England? Dare to leave us all your opinions in a comment. We will be happy to read you!