What happens on Nov 5th?

[YourVagesty]

A regional question!

I asked two young relatives from the other side of the country (keeping this deliberately vague because I want to know what you'd say) what they are doing for 'Bonfire Night' and they stared at me blankly.

Even after I'd explained, they still didn't seem to register any recognition of the story of Guy Fawkes, which to me, is mental.

So here's my question - is Nov 5th marked in your neck of the woods and if so, what do you call it?

I had no idea there might be regional variation with this one so I'm kind of fascinated.

Alternatively, my relatives might just be being thick as bricks. I guess I'm about to find out.

South Yorkshire. Lots of fireworks and bonfires.

Bonfire Night everywhere I have lived (South West, South East and East Mids) marked with bonfires and fireworks.

Bonfires and fireworks... Pies and peas too! Surely everyone knows what bonfire night it

Bonfire night

Is it more of a generational thing rather than regional?

South Yorks here, it’s bonfire night. My 5 and 9 year olds know it’s bonfire night and there will be fireworks etc. they also know roughly about Guy Fawkes. Your relatives must live under a rock to not know what bonfire night is.

Also, what activities do you do? We had a fire on the village green and ate baked potatoes and hot dogs. Marvellous!

My DH is from Oop North and he said they called the night before Nov 5th 'mischief night' and they pulled pranks on their neighbours (like playing Knock Door Run).

Fireworks night or bonfire night here - Cambridgeshire and Fens are the 2 places I've lived.

Ds is the only person I know who wouldn't be able to tell you about Guy Fawkes but he is 3 😁

Anyone I know would recognise it as Bonfire Night, Guy Fawkes Night or Firework Night. Very few teens and kids would know about a Guy on the bonfire. S London.

Bonfire night on the Fylde Coast in Lancashire. There is an organised Bonfire with fireworks and lots of people do their own fireworks.

Big processions and bonfires round here. Not all on 5th, in fact, the local ones started in September, but bonfire night is massive. Different village and town groups head to each other’s bonfires throughout the season, parading through the streets with fire torches and flags. We’ll head to one of the local villages that hosts such an event on the 5th (but it’s far from the biggest that night).

in addition to these big affairs, many local communities host firework displays. We’ll go to the one that raises money for our childrens’ school, and one for another local youth organisation, both held during the week running up to 5th.

Sussex. So it starts in September and ends in Lewes on Nov 5th.

Southwest and it’s always been called fireworks night or bonfire night. Lots of fireworks displays or people do their own parties at their houses. I always remember going to a big rotary club run display as a child with a massive bonfire including a guy. Then a massive fireworks display. Fair ground type games and food trucks.

Loads of fireworks and bonfires round here in the home counties, but our local volunteer-run organisers has announced that they won't be running any more fireworks displays in our town because of the big increase in insurance costs and onerous official stuff they have to comply with.

I don't think many younger people would call it Bonfire Night; I think Halloween has replaced Bonfire night for youngsters (sadly)

Aaah well now you've opened a whole other can of worms! "Knock down ginger" in these parts!

North east here. Bonfire night. Fireworks and usually there's some fun fair rides etc.
We lived in Hertfordshire and there it was also fireworks.

Im from the south. Guy fawkes night/bonfire night. Bonfires and firework displays, common to eat baked potatoes and chilli and cinder toffee.

Were your relatives not born and raised in England?

it’s bonfire night and celebrate guy Fawkes

Oh gosh doesn't it just

I think so. Halloween now much bigger.

But if you’d called it Bonfire night they’d have known what you meant I think.

@OldWivesTale Is it more of a generational thing rather than regional?

That's what I'm wondering. Said relatives live somewhere near a lot of American bases and they are very Americanised by that, and by the media they watch. So I wonder if its that more than regionality.

Because thus far, it seems like we all know what it is.

Remember, remember the 5th of November,
Gunpowder, treason and plot.

Don't they teach this stuff at school any more?

Mind you, this year the incumbents of the Houses of Parliament seem to be doing a good enough job of it themselves and don't need any outside assistance...

North East its called Bonfire Night or Bommy Night. There's generally a few organised fireworks displays but no real organised bonfires. The bonfires tend to be makeshift affairs on bits of green space in the housing estates. My older teenager and his friends hang around unloading the various vans that pull up to get rid of their junk on the fire and gets a few quid for his trouble. The firebrigade generally take a watch and wait approach and as long as they dont start getting out of hand they leave them be. If they get too big or too near to buildings/fences etc they put them out.

Sorry, should also add, it’s known as bonfire night here, and my children have learned about it at nursery and at school. (Sussex)