It’s definitely safe to say we all love Bonfire Night at York’s Chocolate Story. It’s a joyous time where we try and write our names with sparklers and get involved with the Bonfire Night festivities such as apple bobbing and building a Guy Fawkes. Our own city holds so much history for this festival and therefore we have a picked out 6 fun facts about Bonfire night for you to enjoy.
1) Bonfire Night is also known as Guy Fawkes Night, Guy Fawkes Day and Fireworks Night.
2) Bonfires are actually quite dark, in that they originated to represent burning Guy Fawkes at the stake.
3) Over 400 years ago, Guy Fawkes was part of a team of 13 Catholics brought together to carry out the Gunpowder Plot, intending to blow up King James I and his government whilst they were in the famous Houses of Parliament.
4) Fawkes was born in April 1570 and raised in York which, as you can imagine, ties the city to this festival. Fawkes attended St Peters school, which is just outside the city walls. There is also a hotel situated in York known as the Guy Fawkes Inn, where it is said that Fawkes was born. There are rumours to this very day that the hotel is still haunted by his Ghost.
5) 5th November was initially known as Gunpowder Treason Day and bonfires were lit as a celebration that the King hadn’t been killed.
6) The word for firework in Japanese is ‘hanabi’, which translates to ‘fire-flower’.
Now that we have filled you with some facts, we hope you enjoy your bonfire night plans!
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