Remember, Remember the 5th of November

Guy Fawkes

Remember remember the 5th of November

Gunpowder treason and plot

I see no reason why gunpowder treason

should ever be forgot

-Guy Fawkes night poem

Obviously there is no national celebration for the 4th of July in Scotland, so we figured we were out of luck when it came to fireworks this year. Fortunately we were introduced this weekend to Guy Fawkes Night, also known as "bonfire night" or simply "fireworks night". Long story short, Guy Fawkes tried to blow up the House of Parliament in London on November 5th, 1605. The explosion would have killed King James I (King James VI of Scotland) and other members of Parliament. The men who planned this (Guy Fawkes and friends) were later arrested and executed. People were allowed to celebrate the kings survival by building bonfires, and here we are four hundred years later with another excuse to have a BBQ and blow things up!

Here is a Horrible Histories recap of the event:

On Saturday night we were invited over to our friends the Ross' for dinner (chili dogs!), then a trip to "the Glen" for fireworks. Workmates had been playing down the fireworks all week, telling me it wouldn't be anything special. Turns out it was the best fireworks show I have ever seen. Fireworks were launched from three separate staging areas, and there was a continuous bombardment overhead for about 15-20 minutes. None of this "one at a time" stuff, it was constant with multiple explosions throughout. We were standing almost directly below the fireworks when they went off, and it made for a stunning show. I've included a youtube video I found of the fireworks, but you really had to be there for the full effect. Thanks Mr. Fawkes.