Guy Fawkes Day

In New Zealand they celebrate Guy Fawkes Day on November 5th every year.  The family I was living with was so surprised that I had never heard of it so we looked up on the internet why it is celebrated and then went to see the fireworks at night.  This is what I learned ...

In the 1600s English Catholics were being persecuted.  Thirteen men decided that they needed to take a stand with violence.  They tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament to kill the king.  To carry out their plan they got 36 barrels of gun powder and stored them in the cellar under the House of the Lords.  As the group worked out the plan they realized that there wasn't a way to carry it out without harming innocent people as well.

Some people in the group sent anonymous letters to friends warning them to stay away from the building on November 5th.  Word got back to the King and the King's forces went to stop it from happening.  Guy Fawkes who was in the cellar with the 36 barrels of gun power was executed. Today the reigning monarch only enter the Parliament once a year and prior the Guards search the cellars of the Westminster Palace.  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 or Guy Fawkes Day. The event is commemorated every year with fireworks and burning effigies of Guy Fawkes on a bonfire.

We went to an overlook of the city and it was crazy there were fireworks going off everywhere.  I have never seen so many fireworks and it was so cool because the lookout we were on was above the high of most of the fireworks.  The fireworks continued well into the night.  Unfortunately I am not great at taking pictures of fireworks but you will just have to believe me that it was amazing!