Bonfire night

[LunaLovesHarry at aol.com]

>>"I rather like the Woodlands Junior School version. But basically, 
Bonfire Night commemorates the preservation of the then King, James 
I and the houses of Parliament by the discovery of a plot to blow 
them up; the plot was discovered on November 5th 1605, when the 
gunpowder was already in the basement of Parliament.

The event is commemorated with bonfires, huge outdoor fires that 
sometimes get out of control. Because one of the leading traitors 
(Guy Fawkes) was executed by burning, there's often a stuffed effigy 
on top. Sometimes the effigy bears a notable resemblance to a more 
modern unpopular person. Fireworks are let off in great profusion 
(it was a *Gunpowder* plot, see {g}) and there is much eating of 
baked potatoes, burnt sausages, treacle toffee, and sometimes a 
traditional cake called 'parkin', which is a bit like a ginger cake 
with oatmeal in it.

It's also the reason why Halloween isn't a very big festival in 
Britain; Bonfire Night is so close to it that it, not Halloween, has 
become the main 'hello, winter!' festival."<<

Pip!Squeak


Thanks so much for the indepth explanation!  I have never heard of that, and 
I am a lover of history, so thanks for the information.  Did you go out and 
celebrate?  :)

"Luna"


------------------
"... and you have Luna, who is completely out to lunch, but fantastic.  I 
love Luna."
J.K. Rowling
Edinburg Book Festival, August 2004
(Speaking about the meeting between Skeeter, Hermoine and Luna.)


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]