On November 5th, 1605 Guy Fawkes and the other Catholic collaborators of the Gunpowder Plot tried to blow up the Palace of Westminster. They failed miserably in their plan, but they did get a holiday out of it. Now in the United Kingdom every November 5th is celebrated as Bonfire Night to celebrate the thwarting of Guy Fawke’s plan.

Being the first foreign holiday to observe I was a bit excited to see what the people actually did. I had read that typically the night was a display of fireworks and bonfires and that often times effigies of Guy Fawkes or sometimes effigies of the Pope were burnt. The latter being something I don’t ever see being socially acceptable in the states. After all, remember how much trouble Sinead O’Connor got in for tearing a picture of the Pope on Saturday Night Live? To this day NBC refuses to reshow that footage…

Somewhat disappointingly however I saw no such burning “guys.” In fact Bonfire Night wasn’t very memorable at all. All it ended up equating to was providing a colorful and exploding night sky as I did homework. No effigies, no children asking for “a penny for the guy,” and no special “bonfire toffee.” I was a rather disillusioned fly on the wall. To be honest, if it wasn’t for the politically incorrect poem listed below, I don’t know that anyone would remember November 5th.

Instead I’m really looking for what they call in England “Bank Holidays.” In the absence of days like Martin Luther King Jr. Day. or Thanksgiving, England has long had 3 days a year that are public holidays. The name comes from 1871when banks were shut and so no trading could take place. Basically they are just free days, not affiliated with any religious, pagan, or political celebrations. My plan is to use each day to create my own new personal holidays. Perhaps an Argyle Celebration, or Pirate Day, or just completely random traditions like filling a pillow with cotton candy or making polar bear shaped cookies to be thrown off of tall buildings. The real fun will be creating the story behind the origins. The possibilities are endless! So mark your calendars for May 7th (Early May Bank Holiday), May 28 (Spring Bank Holiday), and Aug 27 (Summer Bank Holiday). Stay tuned for celebration details…

The Traditional Poem:

Remember, remember the Fifth of November,
The Gunpowder Treason and Plot,
I know of no reason
Why Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot.

Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes, t’was his intent
To blow up King and Parliament.
Three-score barrels of powder below
To prove old England’s overthrow;
By God’s providence he was catch’d
With a dark lantern and burning match.

Holloa boys, holloa boys, let the bells ring.
Holloa boys, holloa boys, God save the King!

A penny loaf to feed the Pope
A farthing o’ cheese to choke him.
A pint of beer to rinse it down.
A faggot of sticks to burn him.

Burn him in a tub of tar.
Burn him like a blazing star.
Burn his body from his head.
Then we’ll say ol’ Pope is dead.

Hip hip hoorah!
Hip hip hoorah hoorah!