Guy Fawkes Day, which happens each November 5th, is not an American holiday, it’s a British holiday. But its beginnings are so interesting, and the way it is celebrated is so fun, it is worth knowing about. (Fawkes sounds like the word fox.)

Imagine a holiday with lots and lots of fireworks, like our Fourth of July.

Imagine a holiday in which there are many bonfires. (A bonfire is a large fire built outdoors. It is not a wildfire, but rather a controlled one, like a large campfire.)

Imagine a holiday in which children used get to carry men made out of straw through the streets, get paid for doing it, and then get to throw the straw figures into bonfires and watch them burn.

How did these traditions get started?

Hold onto your desk, it’s a wild story.

You have probably heard about how on January 6th, 2021, a mob of people forced their way into the United States Capitol building and did a lot of damage. Well, the same thing happened (or almost happened) clear back in 1605 in England.

On the night of November 4th, 1605, a fellow named Guy Fawkes was found in the cellar of the House of Lords (in the parliament building in London) with—wait for it—36 barrels of gunpowder! The plan was to blow up the building the next day, while the king and many parliament leaders were there.

Why would anyone want to blow up the parliament building?

The answer has to do with religion and politics. At the time, the king  (King James I of England, also known as King James VI of Scotland) and many British leaders were Protestants. Many Catholics in England felt they were not being treated fairly (They weren’t.), so some of them planned a revolt.

In May of 1604, five men—Guy Fawkes, Robert Catesby, Tom Wintour, Jack Wright, and Thomas Percy—met at the Duck and Drake inn in London. Catesby presented a plan to blow up the Houses of Parliament with gunpowder. If they killed the king and the Protestant leaders, it would allow Catholic leaders to take over. Legend has it, all five men swore an oath of secrecy upon a prayer book.

In early November of 1605, they sneaked 36 barrels of gun powder into the parliament building’s cellar. Everything was ready for the big boom on November 5th.

The plot would probably have worked, except someone told on them.
An unsigned letter was sent, telling about the plot, and that’s how Guy Fawkes was found in the cellar with the barrels of gunpowder. Some of the conspirators were killed as they resisted being captured. Others were captured—along with Fawkes—and were tried, convicted, and executed.

The king and leaders were, of course, overjoyed that the plot had failed. It was called the “Gunpowder Plot,” and many people, also thankful that the king hadn’t been killed, lit bonfires to celebrate.

Starting the next year, celebrations were held each November 5th. In years that followed, the day became known as Guy Fawkes Day. It is also called Bonfire Day.

In Britain, they don’t celebrate the Fourth of July. (Why would they? They lost the Revolutionary War.) But on Guy Fawkes Day, they shoot off fireworks the way we do on Independence Day. The fireworks represent the gun powder that the plotters planned to use.

Early on, it became a custom to tie straw into the form of a man and to throw the straw figure onto a bonfire.

These straw men were often called “guys,” after Guy Fawkes. Children would carry the straw figures through the streets and say to people, “Penny for the guy?” And people would give pennies to the children. It was a fun way for kids to earn some money.

Today, Guy Fawkes Day is still a big holiday in Great Britain. People celebrate with bonfires, making straw or paper “guys,” and shooting off fireworks.

Fun Facts

•  Popular foods for Guy Fawkes Day include potatoes baked in the ashes of a bonfire, candied apples, and toffee.

•  Because the celebration occurs at the end of autumn, many people add to a bonfire the fallen leaves they raked from their yards.

•  A straw or paper or cardboard likeness of a hated person, like those representing Guy Fawkes, is called an effigy (EF-uh-gee). Today, some people make effigies of current leaders or movie characters they don’t like and toss them into bonfires as well.

•  Because Guy Fawkes Day (November 5) happens so close to Halloween (October 31), the two holidays tend to merge into one.
Many people in Britain will have a combined party for Guy Fawkes Night and Halloween. These parties often include having a bonfire, dressing up in spooky outfits, and eating treats.

An old rhyme about Guy Fawkes Day goes:

Remember, remember,
the fifth of November.
Gunpowder treason and plot.
We see no reason
why gunpowder treason
should ever be forgot.