Life around the world

Friday, 24 October, 2014 - 13:12

Bonfire Night

by RosemaryM

Bonfire Night is an event which takes place every year on the 5th November. It marks an important event in British history: the night that Guy Fawkes and a group of conspirators tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament in London.

Over four hundred years later, we continue to light bonfires across the United Kingdom to celebrate the failure of the' gunpowder plot'. Last year, I was in Leeds for Bonfire Night. Leeds City Council puts on a fantastic firework display in my local park, which is free to attend. Lots of people go to see the display which lasts for around thirty minutes. I went with a group of friends and neighbours. It was a cold evening, so we were all wearing hats, gloves and scarves! The bonfire was huge and gave off a bright orange glow. There were lots of different types of fireworks, such as rockets and fountains. Some of the fireworks were very loud and I had to cover my ears. The fireworks were colourful and sparkly and I managed to take a few nice photos. It was a great evening and I'll definitely be going next year when I'm back in the UK!

Often people eat toffee apples on Bonfire Night. These are apples on a lolly stick, which have been dipped in toffee. They are usually eaten by children, but anyone can enjoy them! There are several variations of the toffee apple, such as caramel apples and chocolate apples.

As this is a British tradition, it is something I won't be experiencing this year while living in France. Luckily, there are other things going on here in Alsace and it's not long until the famous Christmas markets!

Discussion

Which celebrations in your country have bonfires and fireworks? 

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