You've heard about Guy Fawkes Day in history class. But why was this holiday started? What exactly happens in England on November 5th, 1605?
Guy Fawkes was a Catholic man living in a Protestant England in the early 1600s. After hoping that the new King James I would convert his country to Catholicism after Queen Elizabeth's reign, he was disappointed when that never happened (James actually declared Catholicism as a superstition). Guy Fawkes was so angered by this that he spent months planning out the assassination of James and the destruction of Parliament in one strike-- and he wasn't alone. Many others were in on his plan.
King James I
What was he planning to do, exactly? Even though this wasn't an easy job to be done, he hoped to get his hands on 36 barrels of gunpowder and stash it under the Parliament building for their opening night. With the king in the building, all of England's rulers would be killed and hopefully the country's next leader would be in favor of the Catholics.
Fawkes managed to have everything perfect right down to the last details; he even used the alias of John Johnson to have access to the Parliament cellar. However, the night before the day of the explosion someone recognized that John was really Guy, a Catholic man who couldn't be trusted lurking around the cellar with three dozen barrels of gunpowder.
After hearing the news of Guy Fawkes's arrest, and knowing that their king was safe, happy Londoners set bonfires on the streets (kind of ironic, if you realize all the gunpowder was still close by). Several months later, Parliament declared November 5th as a time for England's thanksgiving.
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This day is celebrated by huge firework shows, large bonfires, wearing Guy Fawkes masks and burning Guy Fawkes dolls in those bonfires.
For us who live in America, this may be a strange holiday to think about. But Guy Fawkes Day, or "Bonfire Day", can be compared to Halloween, with a little bit of the Fourth of July. It used to be more anti-Catholic of a holiday, but that tone has disappeared since the beginning of this tradition. It's more pagan, and centered towards the celebration of overthrowing assassins.
Guy Fawkes masks
Guy Fawkes didn't only have a holiday in his memory. Masks of his face are commonly worn by government protesters. This custom is unfortunately one that has spread to America-- you can usually see them in government buildings in Washington D.C (they're terrifying).
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Whether it's good or bad, Guy Fawkes has definitely left his mark, even four hundred years after his incredibly daring plan was almost taking shape.
bibliography:
"Guy Fawkes Day: A Brief History." History. The History Channel, n.d. Web. 11
Feb. 2014. <http://www.history.com/news/
guy-fawkes-day-a-brief-history>.
Feb. 2014. <http://www.history.com/news/
guy-fawkes-day-a-brief-history>.
pictography:
http://www.history.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/guy-fawkes-masks.jpg
http://www.history.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/james-i.jpg
I think that you did an excellent job with connecting the traditions in foreign countries to America. It was very interesting to see your thoughts how it could relate to Holidays like Halloween and Fourth Of July. Also I like how you started the post with facts on Guy Fawkes to allow the reader to learn more about who he was, and how it would connect to modern day history.
ReplyDeleteI think your blog post is very informative and contains lots of great facts/information on Guy Fawkes. I never knew that those masks were supposed to represent Guy Fawkes because I see them a lot on T.V. and in movies. I agree with you that it is strange how people set bonfires with all the gunpowder nearby. Great job Emma!
ReplyDeleteYou did a really good job finding a connection between two things that do not seem too similar. The information you included about Guy Fawkes was interesting and informative. I agree with your opinions, and I like how you stated them so strongly. Good Job!
ReplyDeleteThis post had some new information for me, because while we did discuss Guy Fawkes in class, this goes more in depth to the history of the English holiday. I've seen the masks, but I never would have guessed that they were related to Guy Fawkes. I like that you have pictures, but perhaps you could have included a picture of the actual Guy Fawkes. This is a really strong connection to history class. Cool post!
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ReplyDeleteThis was a great post! Now I really understand who and what Guy Fawkes did, there was so much information. I find it weird that Fawkes gets this huge holiday named after him after trying to destroy the whole country and it's government. It doesn't make much sense. Also I loved the information about the masks, I agree they are scary! Great Job!
ReplyDeleteThis is an interesting story. It is quite odd how they celebrate a terrorist plot. It is written in a way so that the reader does not get bored and is willing to read on, and I like the way you separated different parts with the circles. All in all a great post
ReplyDeleteThis is a very interesting post and very well-written. I liked going into some more depth than we did in class about the customs of Guy Fawkes Day. This post was very easy to read and didn't feel very long, as it was broken up by pictures that related well to the context. Great job, I really liked this post.
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