Why on earth do we Brits stand in the cold and damp every Nov 5th to remember a 500 year old historical event?

Why couldn't Robert Catesby, who organised the Gunpowder Plot have organised his attempt to blow up The Houses of Parliament and King James 1 in the summer months?

It would have been so much more appealing to watch thousands of pounds worth of fireworks go off on a lovely warm summers evening.

But no, he chose November. The 5th to be precise.

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

As a child, we had to learn this rhyme in school. These days my children are hard pushed to be able to tell you anything about the event.

Years ago we made 'Guys'. It was great fun to dress up the man we made, put him on a wagon and go around the neighbourhood collecting 'a penny for the guy' for our efforts. The accolade to this event being burning him on top of the bonfire.

We don't have 'Guys' anymore. I rather suspect we are now too 'Politically correct' to burn effigies on fires, heaven forbid the horrific images this would create in our offsprings minds!

Actually I was not traumatised by the event at all and neither were my eldest children.

When we moved to Prague and started the school there, we decided to celebrate Guy Fawkes night. What we did not anticipate was perhaps how weird this looked to the outside world. The Czech caretaker and his wife who lived opposite the school looked positively horrified at the burning of the guy, obviously convinced this was some strange 'western' ritual. Our American parents were also somewhat perplexed but joined in with gusto and embraced this strange celebration!

The Gunpowder Plot failed in it's attempt to blow up King James and stop the persecution of Catholics. Around midnight on November 4, 1605, one of the conspirators, Guy Fawkes, was discovered in the cellar of the Parliament building with barrels of gunpowder. Fawkes and other men involved in the plot were tried and executed for treason. 

For some strange reason we still celebrate this event with fireworks, sparklers and toffee apples . My children all love this celebration each year. I feel sad in recent years it has now been completely over taken by Halloween.

I hope I have explained this celebration fully to those who have absolutely no idea why we celebrate this event.