The 5th of November is celebrated throughout the United Kingdom, with bonfires, fireworks and toffee apples. It’s a date many hundreds of years ago in 1605, when a man wanted to blow up important buildings and people in London, the capital city. That man’s name was Guy (Guido) Fawkes, but he was stopped before anyone was hurt.
The plot was because of a difference of religion. King James the 1st was protestant and Guy Fawkes was a catholic, and he thought he could change England back to being catholic again. One day with a number of friends he took lots and lots of explosives to the houses of parliament in London, to make his point and force a change.
Guy Fawkes was worried about his friend, who he knew would be in parliament on the day of the explosion. He sent a letter to his friend, asking him to stay away on November 5th. The Kings supporters found this letter, and fortunately they put a stop to the plan before anyone was hurt.
To celebrate the occasion we have bonfires, sparklers and toffee apples on 5th November every year. A rhyme almost as old as the plot itself helps us remember the date, “Remember, remember, the fifth of November, Gunpowder Treason and Plot”.
