Bonfire Night is, for me, the most exciting of nights. Bigger than Christmas Eve or Halloween or Easter or any of the midwinter or midsummer festivals. It is a peculiarly English event and redolent with the memories of my childhood: toffee apples, a treacly cake called Parkin, baked potatoes, sausages cooked over the fire, fireworks and fun. On bonfire night, the whole night sky is ablaze with bonfires, private ones and great big public ones. I have celebrated bonfire night on beaches buffeted by Atlantic breezes and in fields by streams, with mist rising from the water to make the flames Macbeth-ly ethereal. Wherever I am and whatever the weather, Bonfire Night must be celebrated.
Let me explain.
The hero – or villain, depending on your perspective – of the fifth of November is Guy Fawkes. You will recognise his face because his distinctive moustache and beard are emblazoned on the mask that has become the symbol for resistance to authority all over the world. It is the mask of rebellion and worn to hide the identity of protestors from the authorities.
Guy Fawkes is the infamous fall guy for the failed Gun Powder plot of 1605 where dissident Catholics, fed up of persecution by the Crown, attempted to blow up the Houses of Parliament. Fawkes was caught, red handed, in the cellars underneath the House of Commons, surrounded by barrels of gun powder and was taken away to be tortured and executed. It is said that even under torture he did not divulge the name of his fellow conspirators in his signed confession. In the fevered anti-Catholic atmosphere, a new and bloodthirsty tradition was born which persists to this day: the creation of an effigy of Guy Fawkes and the building, over the preceding autumnal months, of bonfires all over the country on which the effigy is placed and then burnt in celebration of the Protestant victory over Catholics in general and anti-democratic Catholic plots in particular. It is, of course, barbaric. But it is also quite a spectacle, especially in the town of Lewes in Sussex, near where we live.
Why is this such a totemic night for me? Well, Guy Fawkes was probably the most famous old boy of my school. St. Peter’s School, in York, was founded in 627AD. It is the fourth oldest school in the world. (Chengdu in China holds the first place and is the only one founded before the birth of Christ; the other two are in Canterbury and Rochester.) The year I was sent to St. Peter’s, we celebrated the school’s 1350th anniversary. Every year, on the anniversary of the foiling of the gunpowder plot, the whole country of England is ablaze with bonfires commemorating the event. Except at St. Peter’s School in York. St. Peter’s does not burn old boys. It is loyal to its alumni and Guy Fawkes is no exception. So, between the ages of 13 and 18, when all around us the country was making merry and burning bonfires, the night went unrecognised in my school.
I have made up for it ever since.
And now we live in Sussex. In the Southern counties of England, Bonfire Nights is celebrated with a special fervour. In Lewes, the fervour dates back to the reign of Queen Mary or Bloody Mary, who, in her short reign, burnt some 300 Protestants, seventeen of them in Lewes. For the town of Lewes, Bonfire Night is a night of revenge. Here there are thriving and very successful ‘Bonfire Societies’, who raise funds all year round to fund their own firework and bonfire festivities on 5th November. Each year, Lewes’ seven bonfire societies parade through the streets of the ancient town, dressed in C17th costumes, carrying crosses burning with fire, rolling barrels of flames, marching, singing and carousing. It is a magnificent spectacle. Every year, there are gigantic effigies of the most unpopular public figures: Trump has been a favourite of late but he is not unique in attracting the towns people’s derision. These are paraded through the streets and jeered before each Bonfire Society departs for its own turf and seven enormous blazes set the night sky on fire, topped off with the effigies flaming their way to the stars.
Next Bonfire Night, seek out your local one. But if you fancy something very special, pagan-like and you can park your religious sensibilities for the evening, head to Lewes. It gets crowded, their’s no parking allowed and no one can stop the rain if it decides to descend. But no amount of rain will dampen the atmosphere or put out the fires. It is an evening you will never forget.
Now you know: our dirty secret is out. Once a year, every year, those supposedly civilised people who gave the world Parliamentary democracy, Shakespeare and the ideal of the English gentleman, dance around great flaming bonfires and burn an effigy of a Catholic freedom fighter. And the words of the nursery rhyme that commemorates the event “Remember, remember, the fifth of November// Gunpowder, treason and plot”, with it’s bigoted, violent and anti-papist lyrics, resound around the streets of otherwise tolerant, genteel little England. For one night only, England lets its hair down, dresses up and goes wild.
Except at one, old school in York, where such behaviour is frowned upon and Guy Fawkes is forever safe from the flames.
And just to show the contrast between the festivities in Lewes and the approach in its neighbour, wokish-central Brighton, have a look at this extract from this week’s local paper, The Argus.
1 November 21More News >
Brighton council warn people over effigies for Bonfire Night
By Henry Tomlinson @HenryTJourno
Brighton council warn people over effigies for Bonfire Night
A COUNCIL is urging people to respect neighbours and animals on Bonfire Night this year.
Brighton and Hove City Council warned that not everyone is excited about Bonfire Night and that some people can be offended by the burning of effigies. A spokesman for Brighton and Hove City Council said: “Many of us look forward to the thrill and excitement of Bonfire Night. However, some in our community do not.
“Fireworks can frighten people and animals. For our veterans and anyone who has experienced the trauma of conflict, the spontaneous and random explosions of fireworks close to homes can trigger stress and anxiety. The burning of effigies, even in jest, can also cause offence and harm to others who have experienced hate due to their identity. We respect the diversity of all our residents, and everyone has the right to feel safe and free from harm in their home and neighbourhood.”
The council have also said that they want people to “stay local” and support local events instead of travelling to firework shows or having bonfires at home.
A spokesman said: “We’re joining East Sussex Fire Rescue Service (ESFRS) in encouraging people to ‘stay local’ this bonfire season.
“And supporting locally organised events rather than setting off fireworks or having bonfires in your own gardens. We’re also asking people to respect our emergency services by not takings risks and putting additional, unnecessary demands on them. Covid is still very much with us, and all emergency services remain under pressure. The ESFRS has put out advice for people who are planning to have their own fireworks.”
The advice says that people should plan their firework display to make it safe and enjoyable and ensure it finishes before 11pm. People should also only buy fireworks that carry the CE mark, which shows they conform with relevant EU directives regarding health and safety or environmental protection. Firework users should also read and follow the instructions on each firework using a torch if necessary and light the firework at arm’s length with a taper and stand well back.