to our UK members

Happy Guy Fawkes night - stay out of trouble, ok?

lots of love to you on that side of the pond,
Lulu

[Louby70]

Thank you darling,

Sadly I am stuck indoors due to me being stupid with having a hot bath yesturday. But it has been wonderfull watching the fireworks going off from other peoples gardens, Some really beautiful with the odd ones being very loud. My poor dog does not like them, she thinks she can chase after them bless her, she has calmed down a bit now.

Love from the other side of the pond
Louby xx

[Lulu54]

I do wish we had a fall celebration like this - something to encourage everyone outside for one wild party before winter sets in.  Sorry to hear a bath got the better of you.  Next time you'll know better!  :-)

[Mand125]

Thank you!

I live opposite a park and lots of people were there last night letting off fireworks, it was great to watch them from the comfort of my armchair.

Luckily my cat does not mind them at all and at one point wanted to be lifted up to the window so that he could get a better view :)

Mand

[ShadowsSister]

OK fill me in what is FAWKES NIGHT, and why Can't we just start one over here??
I am all for a party with fire works.

If any one can get this thing up and running it's " OUR GO TO IT FLOWER GIRL:" The One And Only LULU ! !   Lulu you really do Rock, Big Time ! ! !
{{{{{{~!~}}}}}} DJ..

[Louby70]

Guy Fawkes night is to do with a guy who tried to destroy the House Of Parliament in 1605, it is celebrated because on Nov 5th his plan was foiled which saved the King. On our Bonfires we make a Guy to put in the middle.

Below is more info about it.

In 1605, thirteen young men planned to blow up
the Houses of Parliament. Among them was
Guy Fawkes, Britain's most notorious traitor.


After Queen Elizabeth I died in 1603, English Catholics who had been persecuted under her rule had hoped that her successor, James I, would be more tolerant of their religion. James I had, after all, had a Catholic mother. Unfortunately, James did not turn out to be more tolerant than Elizabeth and a number of young men, 13 to be exact, decided that violent action was the answer.

A small group took shape, under the leadership of Robert Catesby. Catesby felt that violent action was warranted. Indeed, the thing to do was to blow up the Houses of Parliament. In doing so, they would kill the King, maybe even the Prince of Wales, and the Members of Parliament who were making life difficult for the Catholics. Today these conspirators would be known as extremists, or terrorists.


To carry out their plan, the conspirators got hold of 36 barrels of gunpowder - and stored them in a cellar, just under the House of Lords.

But as the group worked on the plot, it became clear that innocent people would be hurt or killed in the attack, including some people who even fought for more rights for Catholics. Some of the plotters started having second thoughts. One of the group members even sent an anonymous letter warning his friend, Lord Monteagle, to stay away from the Parliament on November 5th. Was the letter real?

The warning letter reached the King, and the King's forces made plans to stop the conspirators.

Guy Fawkes, who was in the cellar of the parliament with the 36 barrels of gunpowder when the authorities stormed it in the early hours of November 5th, was caught, tortured and executed.

It's unclear if the conspirators would ever have been able to pull off their plan to blow up the Parliament even if they had not been betrayed. Some have suggested that the gunpowder itself was so old as to be useless. Since Guy Fawkes and the other conspirators got caught before trying to ignite the powder, we'll never know for certain.

Even for the period which was notoriously unstable, the Gunpowder Plot struck a very profound chord for the people of England. In fact, even today, the reigning monarch only enters the Parliament once a year, on what is called "the State Opening of Parliament". Prior to the Opening, and according to custom, the Yeomen of the Guard search the cellars of the Palace of Westminster. Nowadays, the Queen and Parliament still observe this tradition.

On the very night that the Gunpowder Plot was foiled, on November 5th, 1605, bonfires were set alight to celebrate the safety of the King. Since then, November 5th has become known as Bonfire Night. The event is commemorated every year with fireworks and burning effigies of Guy Fawkes on a bonfire.

Some of the English have been known to wonder, in a tongue in cheek kind of way, whether they are celebrating Fawkes' execution or honoring his attempt to do away with the government.

Loubyxx

[rendean]

Louby,
Thank you for the history lesson as I had absolutely no idea who Guy Fawkes was and why all the commotion and celebration. Nice history lesson. Thanks!!!

Ren

[shermay]

Just caught this before it went to page 2:)))

Who needs Guy Fawkes night when you live in France, when every weekend we are awakened at 6am to gunfire from men shooting tiny little birds and Sangliers in the vineyard:/

I do miss it though, thanks for rembering (sp did I get that right?)  :)))  brain fog!!

Hugs,

Debs xxx