Sunday, November 9, 2014

Bonfire night

Remember, remember, the fifth of November...

Seriously, it was four days ago; if you don't remember it you might want to have that checked out! You may not be fully up-to-date with the events that took place on November 5th 1605, however. On that night, Guy Fawkes was arrested while guarding some 20 barrels of gunpowder in the cellars underneath the House of Lords of the British Parliament; gunpowder that was part of a failed plot to assassinate King James I of England.

Long story short: the catholic conspirators were caught, tried in a court of law and found guilty of high treason. Their punishment: ugh. (A not-so-pleasant death.)

Anyhow, the Brits commemorate the failure of the so called Gunpowder Plot with fireworks and the burning of Guy Fawkes effigies. Friends of mine in Seattle figured that this is as good an excuse as any to gather a bunch of people, eat well, drink well and have a big fire. For the fifth year in a row, they therefore arranged a bonfire party at their farm outside of Lacey, WA yesterday. We were in luck; the weather was wonderful all day, and as darkness fell around us we were warm and cozy under the starry sky, telling stories accompanied by the comforting sound of the crackling fire.

Looking through my photos I realize that the actual burning of our straw man looks quite horrifying, but I can assure you that it was  less dramatic than it seems.



A fascinating tradition and an extraordinary night, in the company of some really tremendous people.

2 comments:

  1. Tack för historielektionen! Och kul att det blev så lyckat! :)

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    1. Så lite så! Det kändes helt klart som att det behövdes lite kontext till bilderna... ;)

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