Why Do We Burn Guy Fawkes on Bonfire Night? The Truth Behind Bonfire Night Traditions
On 5th November 1605, Guy Fawkes and his fellow plotters were caught in the act of trying to blow up parliament and kill King James I of England. If you're not caught up on the story of the Gunpowder Plot, you can check out the full tale right here. From this date on, people across the UK have celebrated Bonfire Night (also known as "Guy Fawkes Night") on 5th November every single year. Nowadays, the festivities often include burning a dummy Guy Fawkes on top of an enormous fire, big fireworks displays (that can go on for a full 20 minutes!) and eating toffee apples and bonfire toffee (the marmite of the sweet treat world).
But hold on a second.
Why do we burn a dummy Guy Fawkes on a fire? Guy Fawkes wasn't executed on a fire, he was hung, drawn and quartered.
And why do we set off fireworks? Is it to represent what would have happened if the gunpowder had blown up? It seems a bit backwards to celebrate the fact the king didn't get exploded by recreating what could have happened if he had been exploded after all.
And what have apples dipped in a sickly-sweet melted ooze got to do with anything?
Time to delve a little deeper as we share...
The Truth Behind Bonfire Night Traditions
Why do we burn bonfires on bonfire night?
The answers to most of our bonfire night questions lie in the religious split happening in England during the 16th and 17th centuries (we've got good ol' King Henry VIII to thank for that). Guy Fawkes was a catholic who hated King James I because he was a protestant king. Catholics were getting treated particularly badly in England during this time and Guy Fawkes wanted a change (blowing up the king seems a bit of an extreme way to do this, but what do I know).
Skip ahead to the day the gunpowder plotters were beaten and Guy Fawkes was arrested. People across England celebrated the failure of the plot by lighting fires and burning a dummy on top of them. But the dummy being burned wasn't Guy Fawkes. No, the dummy was supposed to represent the Pope, the head of the Catholic church. Protestant people were celebrating how the Catholics had failed to bring down their king.
Why do we set off fireworks on bonfire night?
Yes, as backwards as it sounds, the fireworks do in part represent the gunpowder that never exploded in the Gunpowder Plot. It's also a well known fact that when people celebrate (particularly on dark nights), setting off fireworks is a favourite pastime. As bonfire night became more popular in the 16th and 17th centuries, the celebrations became more raucous. Soon, alongside the Pope-burning-bonfires, people began setting off fireworks and - brace yourselves - mini explosives! Thank goodness we don't continue with this part of the tradition in the modern day! As you can imagine, bonfire night started to become pretty violent, and pretty dangerous. Not quite the family-friendly festival we know and love today.
Why do we burn a dummy Guy Fawkes on a bonfire?
But wait a second, in the modern day, we burn poor Mr Fawkes on the bonfire. Why do we do that when it was originally the Pope who was being burned on the bonfire?
The answer? Sweet treats and fireworks. In 18th century England, Guy Fawkes became a bit of a celebrity, being painted as the big villain of the Gunpowder Plot in a way that he wasn't before. Bonfire night was also less of the public spectacle that it is today with most people setting up their own bonfires in their back gardens to celebrate with close family and friends (I know, quite the fire risk!). To raise money for their celebrations, children would create a dummy of the infamous Guy Fawkes. They'd then wheel their dummy along the street in a wheelbarrow begging for money from passers by, asking them for a "Penny for the Guy?". And what did this money go towards? Sweet treats and fireworks for the celebration, of course!
Why do we eat toffee apples on bonfire night?
Which brings us neatly to the question of toffee apples and sweet treats. The answer is pretty straightforward for this one. We eat apples on bonfire night because its right in the middle of harvest season. The late autumn apple harvest makes this crisp, sweet fruit widely available for bonfire celebrations. In addition, the cool November weather provides the perfect conditions for the toffee coating to set and harden just right. In fact, toffee apples have been used for autumn festivals long before their association with the 5th November. So toffee apples aren't just for bonfire night - they're actually used across the world in festivals from Halloween all the way up to Christmas. As if you needed an excuse to eat toffee apples for the remainder of the year!
