Remember, remember,
The fifth of November,
The gunpowder treason and plot!
I know of no reason
Why the gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot!
Guy Fawkes and his companions
Did the scheme contrive,
To blow the King and Parliament
All up alive.
Threescore barrels, laid below
To prove old England's overthrow
But, by God's providence, him they catch
With a dark lantern, lighting a match!
A stick and a stake
For King James's sake!
If you won't give me one,
I'll take two, the better for me
And the worse for you
A rope, a rope, to hang the Pope,
A penn'orth of cheese to choke him,
A pint of beer to wash it down,
And a jolly good fire to burn him.
Holloa, boys! Holloa, boys! Make the bells ring!
Holloa, boys! Holloa, boys! God save the King!
Hip, hip, hooor-r-r-ray!
-B. Habing, The Fifth of November - English Folk Verse
Many probably recognize the first part of this poem as used in V for Vendetta, but did you know it's part of a major British holiday every autumn? Otherwise known as Guy Fawkes Day, Bonfire Night, or Firework Night, the celebration comes from (Catholic) Guy Fawkes' assassination attempt of (Protestant) King James I by blowing up the House of Lords during the early 17th century.
Clearly he failed.
He was caught guarding explosives planted beneath Parliament and in celebration of the foiled attempt on their King's life, the British partied it up by lighting bonfires across London. As time passed, effigies of the Pope and of Guy Fawkes himself were burned and children would walk around the day before asking for collections for the puppets.
Since then, the celebration has carried countless connotations, from religious to political and social contexts and most of these connotations have begun to fade in modern times, but the tradition has remained centered around celebratory bonfires and fireworks displays across the British Isles in the waning days of autumn.
So in honor of our British friends across the pond, light a bonfire tonight and shoot some fireworks off in the night sky!
Will you remember?
Just a poem for you today, written by somebody else because NaNoWriMo is kicking my butt and I'm getting behind on my word count already (big surprise there, I know). But! I've still got close to 8,000 words written so far! Check out my progress here!
:) Kathryn