Guy Fawkes Day, Nov. 5th

On Nov. 5th, Julia and I attended Guildford's annual Guy Fawkes day celebration, locally organized by the Guildford Lions Club. This holiday is based on the events which took place on Nov. 5th, 1605, when Guy Fawkes and a group of English Catholic conspirators planned to detonate parliament and assassinate King James I after he went back on his word to be tolerant of Catholicism in England. Their plan was foiled, however, after Fawkes was caught holding the matches (Gunpowder Plot, wikipedia).

Our night began with a gathering on the town's high street where torches were being sold to eager Guildfordians. Not wanting to miss out on an opportunity to play with fire, Julia and I each bought one and joined the crowd. As the march to the park began, we lit our torches and followed the group, desperately hoping that we would not be burned alive by the careless children that surrounded us. As we walked, I felt as if I was being carried along by a river of tiny flames, a spectacle that reminded Julia of the townspeople storming the castle in Beauty and the Beast.

We arrived shortly at nearby Stoke Park, tossed our half extinguished torches into a barrel and gazed before us at a glowing carnival. Haunted houses and games of skill lined the edges, with the center filled with a variety rides and treat vendors. With a half-hour before the fireworks display, we decided to take a brief walk around to find something to do. The first thing to catch my eye was an American classic, Bumper Cars. After spending so many summers at King's Island, I'm proud to say that I have perfected the art that is Bumper Car driving. The trick, which I imparted to Julia as we were climbing into our vehicle, involves quickly leaning forward moments before striking into an opponent's car. This results in a build up of momentum that launches them several feet backwards after impact!

After the bumper cars, we chose another ride that looped us up high in a circle, hanging us upside down momentarily before swinging back down again. It was during this ride that the fireworks display began. As exciting as it was to view the fireworks from the ride, watching them made Julia and I a little nauseous (and it didn't help when they decided to extend the ride).

Glad to have our feet back on the ground, we made our way to a large field where everyone had gathered to watch the fireworks display. Guildford put on an impressive display that rivaled those I have seen on the 4th of July back in the States. So many continuous clusters of different styles were launched that it seemed like one long finale. The sky was filled with large round explosions of pink, green, red, and blue, clusters of white lights that seemed to swim across the sky like fish, and a spray of red sparks that fanned back and forth like a sprinkler system. The display lasted for about 30 minutes until it finished with the largest fireworks we had seen all night.

Once the fireworks had concluded, Julia and I took one last trip around the carnival before departing. Since we were still recovering from the trip to Spain, we decided make it an early night and get a much needed rest.