Guy Fawkes Night, also known as Bonfire Night, will soon be upon us.....

Remember, remember
The Fifth of November,
Gunpowder Treason and Plot;
I see no reason
Why Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot.
Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes
His intent
To blow up the King and his Parliament;
Three score barrels of powder below
Poor old England to overthrow;
By God's providence he was catch'd
With a dark lantern and lighted match;
Holler Boys, holler boys, ring, bells, ring,
Holler boys, holler boys, God save the King!

And what shall we do with him?

BURN HIM!!

Traditional Sussex Bonfire Nights

We're going to be driving to a beautiful village deep in the sleepy hills of Sussex in two weeks' time. We shall be staying with our lovely, long-term friends. We've all known each other since our early 20's. We were at each other's weddings almost 40 years ago and spent a few holidays together when our children were young. Well, all the children are grown and flown and so we can get together and be silly again !

In Sussex torchlit processions will parade through towns and villages, carrying flaming crosses and effigies of unpopular public figures. They will then meet at a bonfire to burn the effigies and set off spectacular firework displays.

Onlookers can find the uniquely English experience of 5th November pretty awe-inspiring.

November 5th 1605

The celebrations have their origins in the events of 5th November 1605. A group of Catholics tried to blow up the House of Parliament in London whilst King James I was inside. Ever since that day, the anniversary of the failed Gunpowder Plot has been celebrated across England with bonfires and effigies of Guy Fawkes the ringleader who was later hanged.

Across Sussex gangs of riotous "Bonfire Boys" have traditionally marched with burning crosses representing Protestant martyrs burned at the stake.

It is thought that Bonfire Night replaced the pagan festival of Samhain in which fires roared across Britain in defiance of the coming winter. This spirit of rebellion still unites local communities, but in the villages of Sussex, this must-see spectacle spans two whole months starting with the Mayfield village event has already taken place - on 19 September.

On 31 October Newick will have their evening of rebellion - I love how their poster says that your home-made "guy" does not have to look like Guy Fawkes! (Click on the lower photo to enlarge the details)

Battle and Barcombe Bonfire Societies

On 7th November is the Battle Bonfire (this is the one we'll be attending). I like this one as it is usually closest to the actual "5th" also the parade is an amazing display of costumes as over different Battle Bonfire Societies wear their own designs and colours.

The Sussex Bonfire season ends on 14 November with the Barcombe Bonfire Society celebrations. This society seems to put more on for the children than the others and was the one we always went to when our kids were younger.

Rolling Out the Barrel

Tar Barrels are a characteristic feature of traditional Sussex Bonfire celebrations, although their use in English Custom is widespread throughout the country. Ottery St. Mary in Devon and Allendale in Northumberland, are both venues for some spectacular Fire Festivals using Tar Barrels.

Sussex Tar Barrels have their own special significance. Their use is first recorded in Lewes in 1832, when Bonfires had been banished from the streets. To bring back some colour, the Bonfire Boys dragged lighted casks through the town, and often piled them into 'ad hoc' bonfires. Similar activities still take place today and Tar Barrels have become absorbed into Sussex Bonfire culture as a symbol of Sussex stubbornness and defiance.

Tar Barrels take a variety of shapes and forms. The most common are half forty-five gallon steel oil drums, cut along their length and mounted on metal wheels. These 'Tubs' have practical uses, such as collecting spent torches, but more importantly, they create a deafening roar of iron against road that provides so much atmosphere at the back of a procession.

At Newick, a full-sized oil drum, with the ends folded in, is mounted head high on a trolley. It is stuffed with waste torches, liberally doused with paraffin and ignited to lead the Final Procession, with a thousand firecrackers chattering in its wake. To prepare and pull this ceremonial barrel is considered a great honour, for it is a burning illustration of "We Won't Be Druv." The explosion and fireball which rises as the Tar Barrel is cast into the ashes of the Bonfire, after "Auld Lang Syne," marks the end of Newick Bonfire Night.