The 5th of November

Remember, remember. The 5th of November. The gunpowder, treason and plot.

Last night was Guy Fawkes Night, or Bonfire Night in England.

It commemorates the day in 1605 when a man named Guy Fawkes was arrested after he was caught guarding explosives that were to blow up the House of Lords. This was known as the Gunpowder Plot, a failed conspiracy plot by the English Catholics to assassinate the protestant King James I. The plan was foiled, but if you've seen the 2006 film V for Vendetta, the idea was not.

 The English people were allowed to celebrate the        king's survival with bonfires. Hence, Bonfire
 Night.

 The English still celebrate this holiday on the 5th  
 of November with big bonfires and fireworks  
 displays.

 I attended the bonfire and fireworks show at  
 Battersea Park in London. There was an
 unbelievable amount of people crowding in this
 park to celebrate the 406th anniversary of the
 infamous Gunpowder Plot.

To be honest, the bonfire was anticlimactic. Someone simply set fire to a pillar of wood. After watching the wood burn for a few minutes, the crowd turned its attention to the firework display, which was spectacular. The fireworks display was really beautiful, but the coordinated music selection  was a bit of a joke. From Nelly's It's Getting Hot in Here to Adele's Set Fire to the Rain,  a propos as it started raining during the song, people were laughing with each new cheesy song that had the world "hot" or "fire" in it, including Owl City's Fireflies.

My Friends from Uni and I at Bonfire Night. From left: Laura,
Me, Francesca, Silvia, Joel and Nora.

During the grand finale, set to the sounds of Kings of Leon's Sex on Fire, the crowd 'ooh'ed and 'ah'ed as brilliant, glittery lights illuminated the sky.

"We're simple people," my British classmate whispered.

I smiled and nodded in agreement. Simplicity is something the Brits do very well. And so a simple night with friends and fireworks turned into one 5th of November that I will always remember, remember.