The merry shouts of children asking for money echo up and down the streets. And with them they have "the Guy," a straw dummy dressed in old clothes. Many of the children are wearing costumes and masks.
It is November 5th, and people in England are celebrating a holiday called Guy Fawkes Day.
Nearly four hundred years ago, in 1605, a man named Guy Fawkes tried to blow up a government building. He wanted to kill King James I and the king's leaders. Fawkes was one of a group of men who felt that the government was treating Roman Catholics unfairly.
The king and his leaders were to meet on November 5th. So, the group placed barrels of gunpowder in a cellar beneath the building where the king and others were to meet. Guy Fawkes was to light the fuse that would set off the explosion. But the plot was discovered before he had a chance to do this. The king was saved, and Fawkes was hanged.
Ever since, Guy Fawkes Day has been a time for merrymaking. It is a holiday that both children and grown-ups enjoy. The best part comes as darkness falls. Then, straw dummies are tossed into huge bonfires. Amid cries of glee, firecrackers pop and "the Guy" goes up in a blaze of fire.
6 comments:
Sounds like it's a fun time. Dawn
Thanks for the lesson. Sounds like a great time!
hugs
d
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Everything is still burning here Leigh bang bang bang.It has been going on since 4pm.Rockets are lighting the sky up over the sea.It's a lovely sight but my head does ache plenty LOL!! Take care a very good entry once more.
Astoriasand http://journlas.aol.co.uk/astoriasand/MYSIMPLERHYMES
Lovely interesting entry Leigh ~ Ally
We do not get many bonfires around here now Leigh, only organised ones. What we do get is endless loud explosions that terrify the animals. I like fireworks but only the pretty ones. Nice entry.
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Sounds like a blast (just like the fridge comment, no pun intended lol)
Thanks for informing us non-Europeans about what Guy Fawkes day is. Of course, I was very distracted by the pretty sparkling graphics when reading lol.
Hope you're having a good day (wait, I'm IMing with you now, I'll just ask...)
Morgan
xxxx
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