It's that time of the year in Britain again - Guy Fawkes Day, aka Bonfire Night. Mainly it's a good excuse for fireworks! Poor things don't have Independence Day, after all. If you'd like to celebrate Guy Fawkes Day and don't have any fireworks handy, rent V for Vendetta. It has Natalie Portman in it and is quite good.
Last year we stood around a large bonfire by the Wolfson Pond on the River Cherwell. This year, there are fireworks displays happening in all our neighboring villages all weekend. We supported our local community by attending the Great Milton display on Friday night. It was so fun!
We walked down into the village in the pitch dark by flashlight, which was great fun in itself. It was close enough to Halloween to bring back trick-or-treating memories of wandering around after dark. Then we joined an impressively-sized crowd at the Great Milton Recreation Ground for mulled wine and beer in styrofoam cups and waited for the fireworks to start at 8:00pm.
We got a good spot near the front (standing, as everyone did) and enjoyed watching all the kids run around with their glowsticks. Then, right on time, a musical introduction started up on the stereo laid on the grass near us. It was clearly a song made just for the fireworks, and it was pretty darn cool. It included children chanting the nursery rhyme for Guy Fawkes Day:
Remember, remember the fifth of November, Gunpowder, treason and plot. We see no reason Why Gunpowder treason Should ever be forgot.
Then the pre-taped kids, along with all the kids currently present, shouted "5! 4! 3! 2! 1!" and the fireworks started on cue. It was a really wonderful way to mark our upcoming departure from the UK, celebrating such a British holiday with our village neighbors. I would be willing to bet we were the only foreigners there, which was just perfect.
Happy 5th of November!