Fifth of November: Remember Guy Fawkes
David Jardine, the author of “A Narrative of the Gunpowder Plot” says that Guy Fawkes is not a mercenary who is ready to kill anyone, but a zealot miguided by religious fanaticism. I don’t know what you actually think about this “guy”, but the British do celebrate his failure to kill the king and the members of the parliment every 5th of November.
The movie “V for Vendetta” depicted a similar story, but based on different timeline and historical characters. The movie was about an imaginary dictator in UK and a masked-hero who destroyed his police state. The hero of this dystopia came to be related to Guy Hawkes of the “Gunpowder Plot” because of the mask he used. People were amazed by the deeds of the “V” in the movie. But what about the “Guy”?
Some consider Guy Fawkes as “the only man ever to enter parliment with honest intentions” but how he and his friends ended up in 1606 was not the best end, indeed. The traditional ryhme sung in the imperial UK had some lyrics like “burn him”, and the main focus of this festival, the bonfire, is set up to burn the effigy of Guy Fawkes.
It’s hard to make up your mind on such controversial issues, and the Gunpowder plot is sure one of them. It all depends on your perspective. You can hate him, you can sympathize with him, or you can simply forget the historical part and just enjoy yourself in the festival throughout the UK. When I was in Britain for the first time, I went for this 3rd option and had a lot of fun.
History and culture are sure important parts of a travel. I feels better to know a little bit about the city and country in which you’re travelling. That’s why I paused and started to think about the background of all that festival in my second visit to the UK. Yes, let’s burn the effigy and dance, but who’s this guy, Guy Fawkes?
Britannia and Wikipedia tell you a lot about the history and the chronology, but it’s still up to choose your side. C’mon! It’s way too hard. Ok, let’s make up our minds next time. But I strongly suggest you to be somewhere in England during the 5th of November. I won’t be there this year, but I’ll be looking forward to my third time in UK for the Bonfire Night.
John Johnson, Guido Fawkes, or Guy Hawkes. Fireworks Night, Bonfire Night, or Guy Fawkes Night. If you wanna spend the 5th of November in York, where Guy Hawks was born, check otel.com for the lowest rates. Check the discount hotels below: