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When is Bonfire Night in 2016? |  |
The 2016 Bonfire Night is on Saturday, November 5th.
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What is Bonfire Night? | |
Bonfire traditions are popular on various days all over Great Britain and Europe. The most famous occurrence of Bonfire Night is Guy Fawke's Night on November 5th in the United Kingdom. This annual celebration is a commemoration of a failed assassination attempt on King James I in 1605. Fawkes and his co-plotters apparently planned to blow up the House of Lords using a stockpile of gunpowder stored in the cellar beneath the building. Fawkes was discovered before the plot could be carried out, and subsequently hanged.
Since that time, the British people have celebrated the saving of the King annually. Fireworks accompany the bonfire, on which an effigy of Fawkes may be burned. Various celebrations occur at local establishments on the weekend near November 5th to encourage partying. Some bonfires attract a few hundred participants, while others boast thousands of attendees. Potatoes are wrapped in foil to cook in the bonfire, and participants often eat Parkin cake made with oatmeal, molasses and ginger. Citizens of New Zealand and Canada also celebrate Bonfire Night.
