The History of Bonfire Night

The history of Bonfire Night; what it really means

Everyone has heard of Guy Fawkes, haven’t they? And how he was part of a group of men who wanted to blow up the Houses of Parliament in London? But do you know who John Johnson was and his role in the gunpowder plot? Do you know why the plot was created or how it failed? Or will be revealed with a sizzle of a sausage and the sparkle of a firework in an instant so that when you are watching with awe at the stunning fireworks and creeping closer to the warmth that blazing bonfire emits, you can impress everyone with your knowledge as to what you are really celebrating...

There were 12 conspirators involved in the gunpowder plot of 5^th November 1605. Guy Fawkes alias was actually John Johnson but the main ring leader was a man called Robert Catesby.

A group of Roman Catholics planned to assassinate King James l along with the rest of Parliament as they attended the ceremonial State Opening of Parliament. They wanted everyone in government to be removed and to return England to the Catholic faith. They were led by Sir Robert Catesby, a charismatic and religious man.

Guy Fawkes was the explosives expert in the group and his role was to guard the 36 barrels of explosives and light the fuse on November 5^th.

However, the police received an anonymous tip off and Guy Fawkes was found in the basement with a fuse in his pocket, all ready to go! The rest of the group managed to escape but were either eventually shot or hung, drawn and quartered.

Some say that Guy Fawkes was imprisoned in the Tower of London and tortured during his questioning.

He was due to be executed on 31^st January 1606 at Old Palace Yard, Westminster but he actually died by breaking his neck when jumping from the gallows.

So now you can see why there are so many firework displays dazzling the skies on November 5^th; their significance is to represent the explosion that would have occurred if Guy Fawkes had been successful in his bid to light the fuse.

You may wonder why we burn an imitation of Guy Fawkes on the bonfire...

In celebration of his survival, King James ordered that the people of England should have a great bonfire on the night of November 5th. This fire was traditionally topped off with an effigy of the pope rather than Guy Fawkes. His place at the top of the fire came in later as did fireworks. The East Sussex county town of Lewes still has the pope alongside Guy Fawkes when it comes to the effigies being burned.

Some say a government conspiracy was the real gunpowder plot because King James’ chief minister hated Catholics and wanted rid of them and to remove Catholicism entirely from England which he saw as a constant threat. King James had a phobia of dying because he had experienced a very frightening childhood. What better way to get King James to severely persecute the Catholics in England by helping him to believe that they had tried to kill him in this very violent manner. However, was it possible that the conspirators had help from the Government as the Government had a monopoly on gunpowder? And how did they move the gunpowder across London from the Tower of London to Westminster without anyone seeing it? Why was there a search of Parliament’s cellars, for the first time in history?

We may never know the answers to these questions but while historians hunt for evidence, let’s grab a hotdog in one hand, a sparkler in the other and watch the sky light up with whistles, bangs and explosions. The true meaning of Bonfire night has been revealed...

Festive joy: offer a gift of Christmas Kindness today

Festive joy; offer a gift of Christmas kindness today

Christmas is the time for giving and sharing and there is nothing quite like the pleasure of watching your family unwrap the presents you carefully prepared for them, but as for shopping...sheer bliss! Everyone in high spirits, traditional music floating in your ears as you try to find that perfect gift for your mum or dad, brother, baby sister, aunt, niece...the list goes on.

But what about the people who don’t have family close by? How about the elderly? How do they cope at Christmas? And what of the homeless? What is the festive occasion really like for them?

Statistics and research indicates that Christmas can be a very lonely time for some people as they prepare for a day on the streets again or all on their own without the love and kindness that we so often take for granted.

Would you like to help vulnerable, old or lonely people at Christmas? There are several organisations whose mission is to do just that. Have a look at www.crisis.org.uk, www.caringatchristmas.org.uk and www1.salvationarmy.org.uk to get some ideas as to how to ease the burden for so many people at this festive time. Do you like the idea of taking food to the homeless? Perhaps entertaining the elderly? Maybe you could talk to your friends and all come up with an idea as to how to make Christmas a happy time for vulnerable people.

If you are the crafty type, creating your own Christmas cards is a great way to make someone feel special at Christmas as it really shows effort and consideration. Why not gather some glitter and foil, a few stars and ribbon and make an extra unique one for an elderly person this Christmas?

If you are creative and have a love of words, what about making up your very own Christmas poem to raise a smile for a homeless charity?

A Christmas Dream

He visits the dreams of the young not old

Travelling the starry skies

A very jolly man the tale is told

Who eats too many mince pies

Squeezing down the chimney in eager pursuit

To deliver gifts galore

Leaving many a present that will only suit

A child who doesn’t want more

A reindeer or two, a sleigh so bright

A home he won’t leave out

Stealing through the Christmas Eve night

No one knows that he’s about

But I know he comes and I know it’s true

Others to believe is so hard

He left me a gift that no one else knew

A reindeer in my own back yard!

On the theme of creativity why not compose your very own festive CD? You could download from the internet your own compilation for some deserving people that you have in mind and use your artistic skills to make a stunning album cover...

Making a special hamper needn’t cost a fortune if you would like to take one to a person who is all alone this Christmas. This is such a personal gift, they will know you have put real thought into it. You could take a small box and wrap it in Christmas paper. Consider decorating it with tinsel and place small Christmas crackers, mince pies, nuts and even a small festive calendar inside to make it really Christmassy.

Whatever you decide to do this Christmas to make someone feel special, you will be rewarded by knowing you have contributed to making them feel a little less lonely knowing that someone cares. Just that alone will make the traditional saying of peace and goodwill to all that much meaningful for you...

Merry Christmas!