Guy+Fawkes+Day

__The Celebration:__ Every year on November 5 in Britain, people celebrate Guy Fawkes Day. This celebration is to commemorate November 5, 1605, when a group of conspirators tried to blow up parliament with 36 barrels of gunpowder. Every year on this day, guards search the cellars of the Houses of Parliament to start the celebration. One tradition is the Annual Opening of Parliament. During this, people line the streets to see the queen ride her horse drawn carriage to the Houses of Parliament. After the queen reaches the Houses of Parliament, the Trooping the Colour. During this the Queen reviews her troops. During the Day, children of England make "Guys" which are stuffed dummies that resemble Guy Fawkes. They take these "Guys" around town collecting money saying, "A penny for the guy." The celebration really doesn't get started until the evening.
 * Guy Fawkes Day**

__Guy Fawkes Night:__ This Event includes immense firework displays, lighting bonfires, and the ceremonial burning of a effigy of Guy Fawkes or "Guy." However there is also festivities in the streets which include dancing and music. This night is also known as "Bonfire Night" and "Firework Night".

__The History:__ The origins of these celebrations and festivals that take place annually on november 5, trace back to 1605 when Guy Fawkes and a group of conspirators attempted to blow up parliament with gunpowder, killing the current king James I. This is normally known as the "Gunpowder plot". The reasoning behind the day November 5 is because that is the opening day of parliament during that particular year. It was hoped that when the parliment was blown up, the disaster would cause a great uprising of the English Catholics who were greatly affected and oppressed by the strict penal laws against catholicism. The conspirators had been planning this attack for a year since 1604. One of the conspirators, Thomas Percy, had connections in the parliament and was able to hire a cellar in the basement of the Houses of Parliament. He secretly stored 36 barrels of gunpowder there and Guy Fawkes was to ignite the gunpowder. However their plan got leaked through a letter to Lord Monteagle that he recieved october 26th, saying not to attend parliament on opening day. This letter was likely written by Francis Tresham, the brother in law of Lord Monteagle and one of the conspirators. When this message was shown to the First Earl of Salisbury, the hidden stash of gunpowder was discovered. Guy Fawkes was then arrested on his way to the cellar where the gunpowder was stored. Most of the other conspirators were caught and killed. This plot provoked the british catholics and strengthen the already harsh laws against them.

__Guy Fawkes:__ The theory for guy fawkes' radical involvement in the gunpowder plot has thought to be that guy fawkes' did not want to blow up the Houses of Parliament at all. He wanted to to asasinate King James I who had created strict and unfair laws against the catholics.

Sources:

http://www.theholidayspot.com/guy_fawkes_day/history.htm http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/STUgunpowderP.htm http://www.britannia.com/history/g-fawkes.html http://www.theholidayspot.com/guy_fawkes_day/guy_fawkes_life.htm http://www.theholidayspot.com/guy_fawkes_day/co_conspirators.htm http://www.theholidayspot.com/guy_fawkes_day/guy_fawkes_night.htm Back to Group 3