Guy Fawkes was an Irish Catholic who decided to blow up Parliament, the seat of the Protestant opposition. His project was far advance before someone tipped of the authorities and as is the attitude we have in this country, we celebrate one of the most famous terrorist in history.
Today's event is a far cry from my own experience when I was young. Today it's an organised event specifically the fireworks display, by adults. In my day it was a children's event to which we invited our parent.
Throughout September and October the kids were out in the wood collecting anything which would burn. We went from house to house collecting old furniture and anything which we could pile on the pile of wood which was growing week by week. Adults took no part in the building of the fire and we were free in those days to go out in the evening to go "progging".
As the pile of wood and second hand furniture grew, and in the village I grew up in, there were two fires, one in the upper village and one in the lower village there was a fair amount of competition to see who would have the largest fire.
November the 5th arrived and in the evening we were joined by the adults to light the fire.
An effigy of Guy Fawkes sat on top of pile and as the flames grew he was burnt and our excitement grew as the fascination of fire drew us to stare and marvel at our creation.
Fireworks were not controlled by the 'grown ups' and one of the slightly dangerous but fun things was to hold the banger (small explosive fireworks) long after the fuse was lit in an attempt to throw the banger into the air for it to go off whilst it was in the air. Sometimes you misjudged the timing and the thing went off in your hand but apart from a stinging sensation no real damage was done. Rockets and Roman Candles were the more expensive fireworks and everyone was setting theirs off independently. There was no collective firework display as there is today.
The H&S people would have had a fit but we had the independence in those days to express ourselves in all kinds of ways. Part of growing up was to expose yourself to risk. There was no heavy handed protective organisation (H&S) which has now grown into a monster involving itself in every aspect where there is risk irrespective of how small and benign.
Yes occasionally you hurt yourself but it was a learning process which today's cosseted children can only read about on the plethora of warning material covering virtually everything !!
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