As with every year, the 5th of November in Great Britain marks the celebration of Bonfire Night, also known as Guy Fawkes Night. The celebrations consist of fireworks and bonfires organized in many cities around the country.
The origins of this tradition dates back to 1605. A group of English Catholics had planned a conspiracy against King James I, known as the gunpowder plot. The plan was to blow up parliament on the 5th of November. Police foiled the plot and killed all those involved.
Even today, a dummy representing the main conspirator, Guy Fawkes, is burnt during the celebrations.
An effigy of Fawkes, burnt on 5 November 2010 at Billericay (Wikimedia Commons)
The event also inspired the comic 'V for Vendetta' by Alan Moore, which inspired the 2006 film of the same name.
(Cover image: People gather around a bonfire on Guy Fawkes Night in England, Wikimedia Commons)
