BONFIRE NIGHT
The origins of the festival:
The history of Guy Fawkes goes back to when there were religious problems between Protestants and Catholics, in 1600.
King James I was a Protestant who passed laws against catholics, not permiting them to have religious services.
For this reason, the 5th of november, a group of twelve Catholics decided to destroy Parliament and to kill the king. It's known as the Gunpowder Plot.
Guy Fawkes was an expert in explosives and with the help of the plotters put 30 barrels of explosives in Parliament.
Guy Fawkes was arrested and tortured, and three days later, he was and the plotters were found burned.
"Remember, remember,
the fifth of November,
Gunpowder, treason and plot.
We see no reason why
Gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot!"
Traditions that are still observed:
In the UK, since 1859 it was obligatory to celebrate the salvation of the king.
The celebration included shows of firework displays and the building of bonfire where guys, straw figures representing Guy Fawkes (the most famous of conspirators of 1605), were burned.
The day before 5th November the children used the Guys to ask for money calling out of “Penny for the guy”. With “the penny” they used to buy fireworks.
This festival is still celebrated in town and cities in the UK, and in Canada, New Zeland, Australia, South Africa, but in these places the content and the significance of this festival has disappeared.
It is celebrated with some different dishes like toffee apples, jacket potatoes, bonfire toffee, and black peas with vinegar.
People make guys and celebrate the festival with fireworks:
The guy (effigy) is made out of old clothes stuffed with paper or straw. The guy is a reminder of Guy Fawkes.
The fireworks are a reminder of the gunpowder Guy Fawkes hid in the cellar of Parliament.
Plann of a lesson: Bonfire Night
Aims:
-Knowing why is this festival celebrated.
-Knowing the tipical dishes of this festival
-Learning to prepare a typical dish of the festival: toffee apples.
Methodology:
The teacher starts the class explaining why Bonfire Night is celebrated on 5the November.
Then the teacher explains the customs that make this day (the fireworks, the Guys ...).
The first activity is that each student makes her Guy. The teacher will explain and help each student to make their puppet.
The second activity is to prepare a typical dish of Bonfire Night.
Each student will bring from home an apple. In class the teacher will explain how to prepare toffee apples.
She will bring toffee and help each student make their apple.
Materials:
-One apple for each student.
- A wooden stick to stick through the apple.
- Old clothes.
Time and place:
The lesson will take place in the children’s classroom, and it will last 45 minutes.
