Tuesday 5 November 2013

The fifth of November


Remember remember the fifth of November. The rhyme tells us it’s important to make the 'gunpowder, treason and plot' stick in our memory, but how much of this grisly tale of rebellion and religion do we really know?


Newham fireworks display (3rd of November, 2013)

In 1605 a group of 14 provincial Catholics tried to kill the King James I of England, who was Protestant, and replaced him with a Catholic one. The 5th of November, Guy Fawkes, one of the conspirators, was arrested when the police found a cache of explosives placed beneath the House of Lords. To celebrate the fact that the King was alive, the people lit bonfires around the city.

Nowadays, the 5th is one of the most important days for the English families. They organises events all around United Kingdom and the Commonwealth countries to commemorate the plot. You can have a magic night with lot of food, drinks, music, lights and fireworks display.

One anecdote about this topic. The Guy Fawkes mask, designed by David Lloyd, is a depiction of the best-know conspirator of the Gunpowder Plot. The costume became more popular when it was used in the movie V for Vendetta but now it is the emblem for Anonymous. 

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