20151112

Day 556

Guy Fawkes' Night is one of the many excuses Brits use to light bonfires.
Fireworks are the more commonly known celebratory feature though the pyres are ever so popular.
You'd be hard pressed to find a family that hadn't or weren't planning to participate in one.
My home town has an enormous one by the old castle ruins.
Everyone goes but few stay for the Burning of The Guy.

It's one of those old traditions with vaguely convincing roots.
People say it's because he was burnt at the stake (untrue, he committed suicide at the gallows).
I reckon it's an excuse to mimic the old savagery of the aforementioned act.
Everyone's too "civilised" to admit they love the idea of burning a man alive.
There's always something so unsettling about their eyes as the effigy crumples.

To make matters worse they try to make it look as realistic as possible.
Last year's was full of fake blood and fireworks that erupted in a shower of red and gold.
This year's is made to look like our old mayor, the one that embezzled thousands of pounds from us.
Everybody hated him - it's no wonder they chose to make him the Guy - it looked real yet fake.
I still don't know who or how many knew it was him but he woke up when the lit the bonfire.

No comments:

Post a Comment