BONFIRE NIGHT: Why do we celebrate an attempted terrorist plot??

Answer 1

It is now tradition, but in the years following the gunpowder plot people were forced to participate in remembering the occasion by the then government as a warning to others who would wish to blow up the Houses of Parliament. So we are not really celebrating Guy Fawkes as such, but the mist of time have clouded the real reason for the event.

Answer 2

We don t celebrate an attempted terrorist plot, there is more history in this. But to give the basic as many people see it and not those growing up viewing the opposite of it or brainwashed to believe otherwise. We celebrate because he was a Terrorist that was caught trying to blow up the houses of parliament.(Although he didn t do it alone) and we hung him for high treason. Every bonfire night we dress a rag doll up representing Guy Fawkes and we set him on fire on top of a bonfire and let the fireworks remembering death of a traitor.....Shame we can t do that now.

Answer 3

In Britain in recent years some local councils have been afraid to promote Christmas for fear of upsetting people of other religions, so why do you guys continue celebrating the torture and execution of a Catholic man by throwing an effigy of him on a bonfire on November 5th and setting it alight? I find that offensive. How do you think it makes Catholics feel to see their neighbours doing that?

Bonfire Night is no problem, the bonfires and fireworks light up the dark nights and bring people out of their houses to celebrate, but burning the effigy is a horrible thing to have children involved in. What Guy Fawkes tried to do was wrong, but he suffered horribly for it. Let the man rest in peace now.

Answer 4

Firstly, we comemorate the succesful discovery of the plot before our Parliament buildings (the Mother of all modern parliaments) were blown up. Secondly, the political situation then was far different than anything you can imagine today. A man could be burnt at the stake for being a protestant or Catholic depending on who was on the throne at the time.

Maybe a better question would be why do the French celebrate (and I mean celebrate) Bastille day, which kicked off the bloodiest chapter in their long history? It celebrates murdering thousands upon thousands of largely innocent (but perhaps ignorant) folk.

salty seadog

Answer 5

We dont celebrate the attempt, we celebrate the fact that the plot was foiled.That is why a guy is burned on the bonfire to show guy faulkes being executed.

Answer 6

No, we celebrate it being foiled.

It actually comes from an older pagan festival anyway. The bonfire and even putting a man on it came from an ancient Celtic festival. But the old traditions were given new meaning.

Answer 7

Bonfire night is a celebration of the OVERTHROWING of an attempted terrorist plot. We are not celebrating Guy Fawkes, we are celebrating his failure!

Answer 8

We celebrate the fact that the plot was not successful. The plot was uncovered on 5th November 1605. Remember, the conspirators did not want to slightly alter Britain, they wanted a revolution. If it had been successful, they believed, there would have been a Catholic king and everything would be different. Of course, that would not have been the case - the Catholics would have been totally hated and most likely chased out of Britain.

The fifth of November is variously called Firework Night, Bonfire Night or Guy Fawkes Night. An Act of Parliament was passed to appoint 5th November in each year as a day of thanksgiving for "the joyful day of deliverance". The Act remained in force until 1859. On 5 November 1605, it is said the populace of London celebrated the defeat of the plot by fires and street festivities. Similar celebrations must have taken place on the anniversary and, over the years, became a tradition - in many places a holiday was observed. (It is not celebrated in Northern Ireland).
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Remember, remember, the 5th of November
The Gunpowder Treason and plot;
I know of no reason why Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot.

Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes,
'Twas his intent.
To blow up the King and the Parliament.
Three score barrels of powder below.
Poor old England to 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!

Hip hip Hoorah!
Hip hip Hoorah!

A penny loaf to feed ol'Pope,
A farthing cheese to choke him.
A pint of beer to rinse it down,
A f^ggot 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
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Although associated with the Gunpowder Plot, the festival may go back to pagan times. In his book, "The Marian Conspiracy", author Graham Phillips writes:

"According to a theory proposed by my friend the author Andrew Collins, such a god may have been called Ak. As the Lord of Misrule, his name had become rendered as Jack in such mischievous mythical spirites as Jack Frost, Jack-in-the-Box and Spring-heeled Jack. He may have been the equivalent of the Nordic god Loki. Loki was the trickster of the gods, and an effigy of him was burnt each year at the start of winter to stave off his unruly influence during the cold days ahead. The Celtic Ak may have given rise to the similar custom of 'smoking the fool'. In the Middle Ages an effigy of a fool, or jester, was burnt on a bonfire at the beginning of November in many parts of Britain. In fact, it is still, in the guise of Guy Fawkes...it was fool-burning that evolved into 'Guy'-burning."
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So there may have been a burning ceremony before November 5th, it was just taken over for Guy Fawkes Night. Oh, and don't forget the rhyme:

Penny for the Guy
Penny for the Guy
If you haven't got a penny
A ha'penny will do.
If you haven't got a ha'penny
Then God bless you!

Answer 9

I think we are supposed to be celebrating the fact that Guy Faulks didn't get away with what he was wanting to do, your right its weird that we celebrate a failed act of terrorism in this country, all the news and the papers are full of what terrorism has done in this world and we have bonfire night, think they need to re-think a few of the odd things we do in the UK don't you.

Answer 10

Technically we are supposed to be celebrating the fact the plot was foiled: and he was unsuccessful in his attempt to do what 101 other people have felt like doing at times, for hundreds of years since....

But I do see your point!!