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.

Whereabouts do they burn effigies of the pope? I've never even heard of that.

We're in the south east and my kids have been to organised fireworks displays every year and probably aware of the date 5th November. But not sure they've ever seen a proper bonfire as these don't seem to be considered safe in this day and age.

We'd probably call it fireworks night rather than bonfire night to be honest

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewes_Bonfire

.....The cult of the Sussex martyrs was instigated at a time of the restoration of the Catholic hierarchy in England, bolstered by an increase in the Irish Catholic population, as well as the high-profile conversion to Catholicism of members of the Oxford movement, including Cardinal Newman and former Archdeacon of Chichester, Henry Edward Manning. In the mid 19th century the practice of burning an effigy of Pope Paul V at the Lewes Bonfire celebrations began. Paul V was a peaceable man who happened to be pope at the time of the Gunpowder Plot in 1605 and who cannot be held responsible for the Gunpowder Plot or the persecution of Protestants in the reign of Mary I, which were linked at this time by a misunderstanding of the past.[7] In 1893 William Richardson, rector of the Southover district of Lewes, held sermons on the Sunday before 5 November warning about the perils of Catholicism. Many attendees were members of the newly-formed Orange Lodge in Lewes.[8]
There is a history of religious antagonism and anti-popery around the bonfire celebrations in Lewes.[9] In the 1930s the mayor of Lewes requested that 'no popery' banners be removed and an end to the burning of effigies of Pope Paul V.[10] In the 1950s the Cliffe Bonfire Society was banned from the Bonfire Council from taking part in the United Grand Procession for its refusal to stop carrying a 'no popery' banner and banners commemorating the 16th century Protestant martyrs burned at Lewes.[11] In 1981 Ian Paisley visited Lewes on Bonfire Night and tried to fan the flames of conflict by handing out anti-Catholic pamphlets. His intervention back-fired and the following year he was burned in effigy.[12] Today, anti-Catholic attitudes are rare and the militant Calvinism that continues in Northern Ireland is all but extinct in Lewes.[13] In the 21st century, controversy continues to be associated around the Bonfire societies and competing definitions of tradition and bigotry.[14] For instance, the burning in effigy of Pope Paul V was described in 2012 as "a scandalous piece of stone-cold bigotry".[......

There are so many different names for it! It was 'Rat-a-tat Ginger' in my mum's day and region. On my street it was 'Thunder and Lightning' (which I think is a clever name!) I'm interested to hear about other versions!

@SussexSussexBonfireViking
Thank you
I'd heard of Lewes Bonfire but never read what actually happened.
I'm from the North and I've only ever seen a Guy burnt.

I'm in Kent and near family in East Sussex, the 5th is very much a thing in the villages

I call it Bonfire night/Fireworks night/Guy Fawkes night pretty much interchangeably. I do wonder what's so special about him in particular though? Of all the thousands of terrorist plots and attempted assassinations of royalty and government officials, why do we only celebrate his downfall?

Bonfire night but there are hardly any bonfires here anymore - probably due to health and safety, so mostly just fireworks night with hotdogs, sparklers, jacket potatoes etc.

Bonfires, fireworks & penny for the guy widespread in Scotland

Bonfire Night. East Mids.

We have a village bonfire and firework display. It’s the biggest and main social event of the year. A huge deal. Can’t wait!

West Midlands - you can't move for bonfire events at local parks/pubs/social clubs

These involve fun fair games/fun fair rides/bonfire/fireworks etc

Originally from Yorkshire and back in the 80s/90's there were often bonfires and fireworks with a guy. Food was often served as hot dogs or burgers. We also had Mischievous night (called Miggy night for short) on the 4th.

I now live in Co. Durham/Tees Valley. We still have firework displays here, but not bonfires as such. Also Mischievous night is 31st October I think, but it seems to go on from about 26th ish till after bonfire night according to facebook. There are often reports of kids taking it too far especially round the boro/stockton areas.

Bonfire night.

And Mischief night the night before.

But I am a Northerner. However, in York, we don't talk too much about Guy Fawkes. He went to school here.

We’re celebrating that he failed to blow up parliament and the King

Hard to believe given the current state of the country 😂

In the 70s my mum used to make Bonfire toffee from black treacle that would stick to your teeth and was delicious 😋

Bonfire night or Guy Fawkes night here. South west. Fireworks, bonfires, hot dogs, jacket potatoes, then mulled wine to warm up.

East Scotland and always go to the large organised display.

I'm in London but have lived in other places too. It's always been Guy Fawkes night or Bonfire Night to me. It always used to be that there would be a local fireworks display on the 5th, people would also have sparklers, and there would be hot dogs, jacket potatoes, toffee apples.
These days, certainly where I am in London, fireworks are let off by anyone from September onwards, going through the autumn. We get sick of the constant bangs every evening.
Time to ban them!

In fact there are bonfire nights on the 12th and 19th of November too.

Bonfire night where I grew up in south east
we used to do ‘penny for the guy’ to get money for fireworks, have a bonfire at home or go to a village display

Robertsbridge and Barcombe are the last on the 19th i think.

like playing Knock Door Run

Do you mean chappy?

I've lived all over and it's been celebrated everywhere. Called either bonfire night or fireworks night.

Yorks, celebrated with bonfire and fireworks . Kids usually have a guy outside the local supermarket . Story told in primary school on the day

Knock down ginger for me!