What is Bonfire Night?
Bonfire Night, also known as Guy Fawkes Night, is celebrated in England on 5 November with fireworks and bonfires. It marks the failure of the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, when conspirators tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament.
The Gunpowder Plot was organized by a group of Catholic conspirators, led by Robert Catesby, who wanted to kill the Protestant King James I. They placed barrels of gunpowder in a cellar beneath the House of Lords.
Guy Fawkes, an explosives expert, was caught guarding the gunpowder on the night of 4 to 5 November 1605. He and other conspirators were executed.
Remember, remember
Soon after the plot was foiled, people celebrated by lighting bonfires. A law made 5 November a day of thanksgiving.
Traditionally, a figure of Guy Fawkes, called a guy, is burned on the bonfire. Children used to make guys and ask for a penny for the guy. Large public fireworks displays are held across the country.
The famous rhyme begins Remember, remember the fifth of November. Lewes in East Sussex is known for some of the largest Bonfire Night celebrations, with torch-lit processions. Even today, the cellars of Parliament are searched before the State Opening.