The celebration of Guy Fawkes usually brings to mind images of fireworks (and the associated arguments around loud bangs) but few know the history of this historic occasion. Considering the uncertainty in British government right now, it’s worth gaining some insight into Guy Fawkes.
1. Not with a bang, but with a whimper…
‘Remember, remember the 5th of November…’ as the saying goes, reminding us all of when 13 men attempted to blow up the Houses of Parliament in London, quite unsuccessfully, in an attempted coup. As a reminder of this rampant failure, fireworks are let off and bonfires burnt across the United Kingdom and in some of the Commonwealth countries.
2. The Gunpowder Plot
It was in 1605 that a group of Catholic conspirators attempted to blow up Parliament, thereby killing King James I who was a Protestant. The original plan had been to dig a tunnel under the Houses of Parliament as a way of transporting the gunpowder, with Guy Fawkes taking on the identity of ‘John Johnson’, pretending to be a servant. However, the conspirators managed to rent a basement in the House of Lords where they loaded the 36 barrels that were concealed as firewood.
3. Fawkes wasn’t the mastermind
Despite the entire day being named after him, Guy Fawkes wasn’t actually the mastermind of the Gunpowder Plot – that was Robert Catesby. However, the reason we associate Fawkes with the day is that he was the one caught in the cellar below the House of Lords with 36 barrels of gunpowder.
4. The unravelling of the plot
The treasonous 13 were foiled by a traitor in their midst! One of them wrote an anonymous letter to a Catholic member of Parliament, Lord Monteagle, warning him to stay away from the Houses of Parliament on the night of 5 November. Sensing danger, he alerted the king who ordered a search of the area where Fawkes and the 36 barrels were found.
5. A gruesome death
Over the next few months, the authorities managed to kill or capture all the Gunpowder Plot conspirators – arresting, torturing and killing many innocent Catholics along the way. After a trial, the chief conspirators were hanged, drawn and quartered and, on 31 January, while climbing the hanging platform, Fawkes is said to have jumped from the ladder, breaking his neck and dying instantly.
6. The meaning of the bonfire
While some consider the bonfire to symbolise Fawkes burning at the stake, this was never the case. In fact, citizens were encouraged to burn effigies of Fawkes on 5 November to commemorate his failure to blow up Parliament and kill the king.
7. A haunting memory
In addition to the annual fireworks celebrations, Fawkes is still remembered in British Parliament to this day, as the Yeomen of the Guard still check the cellars of the Houses of Parliament before the State Opening. Although the original spot was burnt in a fire at the Palace of Westminster in 1834, the current cellars are still searched more than 400 years later.
While Guy Fawkes celebrations might not be big in South Africa, if you are looking to celebrate, just remember not to play with fire.
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