Every year on the night of November 5, foreign tourists in the UK become eyewitnesses of an extraordinary action. Hundreds and thousands of boys walk door-to-door and beg for coins “for the light for the nice guy Guy Fawkes”. Adults willingly give them pence. And the next day the whole of Britain seemed to go crazy: everywhere there were bonfires on which some kind of stuffed animal was burned, festivities and songs. What is Shrovetide at the end of autumn? And who is Guy Fox? Is this holiday like St. Martin's Day, celebrated in Catholic countries a little later, on November 13? Then the kids also go door to door, sing, and they are presented with sweets. Or maybe this holiday is close to Halloween (October 31)? Let's study this question.
Who is Guy Fox
In the original, his name is Guy Fawkes, he is a native of York. He was a nobleman, by religion - a Catholic. History would not have kept his name for us, if not for his ability to handle explosives. And if the king of England and Scotland, Jacob I, ascending the throne, would not be so cruel to the "papists." With his religious repressions, he made many Catholics turn against him. We can say that he almost provoked a civil war. Against the king, with the active support of the head of the Jesuit order, a conspiracy was organized, which later became known as Porokhovoy. Its members decided to undermine the building where the House of Lords was located. The attack was timed to coincide with the date of November 5, 1605, when the king's throne speech was to be heard so that all members of the two houses of parliament, as well as representatives of the supreme judicial power of the country, would die. Fox was neither the head nor the soul of the conspiracy. He was simply instructed to light a wick of a powder shell designed to destroy a building.
The failure of the conspirators
The gang of rebels consisted of thirteen people. This is too much to prevent information leakage. But the conspirators were killed by mercy. Someone from the underground sent an anonymous letter to a certain Lord Montigl, who was also a Catholic, with a warning that he did not attend the ceremony. He showed the letter to the chancellor. The latter handed it over to King James I. Meanwhile, the head of the conspiracy rented a basement located directly under the House of Lords. Thirty-six barrels of gunpowder brought the underground there - a charge that could not only destroy the monumental building, but also knock out stained-glass windows from Westminster Abbey, located half a mile away. While the organizers left for Warwickshire, where it was planned to launch an attack on the capital after the coup, Guy Fawkes remained in the basement to wait for “hour X”. There, a 35-year-old man was arrested on the night of November 5, 1605. A month later, the whole country found out who Guy Fawkes was.
The triumph of "justice"
The king personally authorized torture of the captured prisoner. As a result of many days of torment, the unfortunate gave the names of his accomplices: Robert Catesby, Thomas Winter, Thomas Percy, John Wright, Robert Case and Francis Trashem. They were all arrested. On January 27, 1606, a trial court was held, where the conspirators were sentenced to terrible execution. At first they should have been hanged, but not to death, cutting the rope in time. Then it was decided to scatter them (cut the stomach so that the insides fell out), and only then quarter. On January 31, the execution took place. But here, too, the young executor of the attack made the whole country talk about who Guy Fox is. Despite the fact that his legs were broken by torture, he jumped from the scaffold with a rope around his neck. So he broke his neck, thereby avoiding "fair punishment."
As Guy Fawkes Day is celebrated
In honor of the miraculous salvation of the king, the British monarchists began annually celebrating the anniversary of this event. To dance and rejoice was prescribed by a special law, which he called November 5 "a joyous Thanksgiving for salvation." This decree was valid 350 years, until 1859. But even after its cancellation, the British did not calm down. It has become a tradition. Moreover, the holiday is celebrated in many of the then colonies of the former British Empire: in South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, Canada. Anticipates the anniversary of the "Salvation of His Majesty" the night of Guy Fawkes. Then the British burn bonfires on which they “kill” the scarecrow of the conspirator who escaped execution. And then they eat traditional food for this holiday: mashed potatoes with grilled sausages, grilled chicken legs with carrot and cabbage salad. For dessert it is customary to serve toffee apples.
