All about Bonfire Night and where to celebrate

• 25 Oct, '18
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If you’re an international IconInc resident and a first year student, the chances are that you won’t have celebrated Bonfire Night before. It’s a truly British holiday and a whole load of fun – you’ve got to join in with the festivities! Find out all about how Bonfire Night came to be, who the infamous Guy Fawkes is, and where to find the best firework displays in Liverpool and Leeds.

What is Bonfire Night?

Bonfire Night is the anniversary of an unsuccessful attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament in London, on 5th November 1605. The attack was supposed to assassinate King James I and his government. You might hear people talking about the Gunpowder Plot at this time of year. That’s because 36 barrels of gunpowder, hidden in the cellars below the Houses of Parliament, were going to be used to create the explosion.

Why did the Gunpowder Plot come about?

Basically, there was a lot of religious unrest. England had been a Protestant country since 1570, during Elizabeth I’s reign, and Catholics throughout the country had been victimised ever since. Then when King James I was crowned in 1603, English Catholics dared to hope for change but this wasn’t to be and the country remained Protestant. The group who planned the Gunpowder Plot wanted to start an uprising against the crown and bring a Catholic monarch into power.