November 5: the day every year when families and friends gather together to burn effigies of a would-be assassin from almost half a millennium ago. You might find it anachronistic. You wouldn’t be wrong.
But isn’t that the point? Yes, it’s all very silly, but isn’t nearly all British culture? Every year in this country, people choose to sprint down a steep hill chasing after a wheel of cheese. Oddity is inextricable from the UK’s traditions. And at a time when national identity is being fought over—one more conversation debating whether it’s racist to fly a union flag, and I’ll scream—a ridiculous celebration of our history is a welcome break from reality.
In fairness, that history is sometimes lost amid the light of the bonfire and the sparklers. A quick recap: in 1605, a coterie of Catholics, discontented with King James’ suppression of their religion, resolved to blow up the then English, now British Parliament, to assassinate MPs and King James in the hope of laying the groundwork for a return to a Catholic England. They were rumbled, hence the celebrations. It’s a shame that such a seismic moment in this island’s history is often forgotten in the haze of cheap lager and rubbish fireworks. But we’re kidding ourselves if we think that we’d have any recollection of the events of 1605 at all if it weren’t for these daft celebrations.
More significantly, at a time when Britain’s future remains uncertain (with renewed SNP success in the polls), it is significant to James VI and I as the king of both Scotland and England. Nationalist figures assert that an independent Scotland would still maintain a positive relationship with the UK. Looking back to King James is surely a means of emphasising our shared history and capacity to co-operate, regardless of the union’s future.
Admittedly, torching a bunch of old clothes stuffed with straw, meant to represent a dissenting Catholic, leaves a sour taste given the bloody history of sectarian violence in this country, particularly north of the border and over the Irish sea. Maybe November 5 should be a rumination on our nation’s past, rather than a hedonistic celebration. But let’s not forget that this 12 July, some of those remembering the Battle of the Boyne chose to burn an effigy of a migrant boat. So maybe that’s the tradition to tackle first.
But isn’t November 5 really just about drinking? Er, of course. That’s literally all we have. In Britain, we can’t even play a football match without city centres ending up like Sodom and Gomorrah, with hapless drunks staggering around at four o’clock in the morning. This is British culture. France has Le Jules Verne, we have Wetherspoons. If we’re going to cut back on binge drinking, maybe the Euros should be the place to start instead.
We’re a nation of bizarre traditions that go back centuries. How about we keep them going just a little longer?
Photo by Zosia Jastrun for The Student
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Remember, Remember: Reflections on the Relevance of Bonfire Night
November 5: the day every year when families and friends gather together to burn effigies of a would-be assassin from almost half a millennium ago. You might find it anachronistic. You wouldn’t be wrong.
But isn’t that the point? Yes, it’s all very silly, but isn’t nearly all British culture? Every year in this country, people choose to sprint down a steep hill chasing after a wheel of cheese. Oddity is inextricable from the UK’s traditions. And at a time when national identity is being fought over—one more conversation debating whether it’s racist to fly a union flag, and I’ll scream—a ridiculous celebration of our history is a welcome break from reality.
In fairness, that history is sometimes lost amid the light of the bonfire and the sparklers. A quick recap: in 1605, a coterie of Catholics, discontented with King James’ suppression of their religion, resolved to blow up the then English, now British Parliament, to assassinate MPs and King James in the hope of laying the groundwork for a return to a Catholic England. They were rumbled, hence the celebrations. It’s a shame that such a seismic moment in this island’s history is often forgotten in the haze of cheap lager and rubbish fireworks. But we’re kidding ourselves if we think that we’d have any recollection of the events of 1605 at all if it weren’t for these daft celebrations.
More significantly, at a time when Britain’s future remains uncertain (with renewed SNP success in the polls), it is significant to James VI and I as the king of both Scotland and England. Nationalist figures assert that an independent Scotland would still maintain a positive relationship with the UK. Looking back to King James is surely a means of emphasising our shared history and capacity to co-operate, regardless of the union’s future.
Admittedly, torching a bunch of old clothes stuffed with straw, meant to represent a dissenting Catholic, leaves a sour taste given the bloody history of sectarian violence in this country, particularly north of the border and over the Irish sea. Maybe November 5 should be a rumination on our nation’s past, rather than a hedonistic celebration. But let’s not forget that this 12 July, some of those remembering the Battle of the Boyne chose to burn an effigy of a migrant boat. So maybe that’s the tradition to tackle first.
But isn’t November 5 really just about drinking? Er, of course. That’s literally all we have. In Britain, we can’t even play a football match without city centres ending up like Sodom and Gomorrah, with hapless drunks staggering around at four o’clock in the morning. This is British culture. France has Le Jules Verne, we have Wetherspoons. If we’re going to cut back on binge drinking, maybe the Euros should be the place to start instead.
We’re a nation of bizarre traditions that go back centuries. How about we keep them going just a little longer?
Photo by Zosia Jastrun for The Student
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