On November 5^th, our neighbors across the pond celebrate ”Lewes Bonfire”, which is celebrated in Lewes, England and is given in remembrance of Guy Fawkes and the failed attempt to kill the king and the Prince of Whales. This holiday traces all the way back to the time of Elizabeth I. Elizabeth loved the people that she ruled over. Although she was Protestant, she was accepting to the Catholic tradition. But after she was excommunicated in 1570, priests were being executed, Catholics could not perform their ritual masses, and they began to flee the country.

When James I ascended the throne, Catholics hoped that their religious practices would be tolerated, but the king declared Catholicism as a superstition. Fed up with James I and the persecution of Catholics, Guy Fawkes (a devout Catholic) planned an attempt to kill the king, Prince of Whales, and members of the House of Commons and the House of Lords using thirty-six barrels of gunpowder! This is known as “The Gunpowder Plot”. Second guessing the plan, one of the conspirators sent a letter to a friend involved with Parliament saying to stay away from Parliament on November 5^th. This letter reached King James I and he stopped the plan by catching Guy Fawkes red-handed in the cellar of where all of the gunpowder was being stored. On the very night since the Gunpowder Plot was foiled, the people of England have bonfires to show the safety of the king. And in 1606, Parliament declared that this day is to be a national holiday named “Lewes Bonfire”.

For this festival, the community splits up into nine different societies, each with their own costumes, colors, and parade routes. Thousands of people walk through the streets of Lewes, England carrying lighted torches and wearing the costume of their society. In the picture, this society is one of the original societies, called Cliffe, and they were white and black striped shirts, Viking, and French Revolution costumes. Because this festival is celebrated with lots of fire, it is advised that very little children do not attend it, and also that you bring goggles or glasses to protect your eyes from flying ashes from many torches.

So what can you do? If you find yourself in England in early November, you can ask to take part in the parades, and most often they will let you join in. But if you just want to celebrate this at home, you can wear a striped rugby shirt. The colors of the societies are yellow and black, blue and white, green and white, black and white, red and black, cream and brown, and red and white. This is a super easy way to participate. Another idea to celebrate is to have a backyard fire. You can invite your friends over (in your striped shirts, of course) and you can sit around the fire. This is another easy and simple way to take part in one of England’s most-beloved traditions.

Source: Conley, Chip, Art Gimbel, and Jennye Garibaldi. “Lewes Bonfire.” Fest300. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Sept. 2014.