Can I Say Wicked in England?: Important English Holidays:

   Over the past two weeks, there have been some really important days in England that define the British culture. The first day was November 5, also known as Guy Fawkes Day aka Bonfire Day. Ignorantly enough, coming to the UK I only knew the expression remember remember the 5th of November bur had no idea what it was really about. Now I know the story so I can share it with you!
   Basically in the 16th century at the time of the reformation of the church under King Henry VIII, the church of England dominated English life. Catholicism was completely shunned, Catholics couldn't vote, they couldn't hold office and they were seen very negatively to the rest of England. And Guy Fawkes, a rebel who was raised Catholic wanted to change this by blowing up Parliament. His thought was that blowing up Parliament meant overthrowing the government and the church. After creating a well devised plan and gaining a lot of covert support, the eve of the project came. Here's where it gets complicated, he was betrayed and everyone involved was hung on November 5th the day the explosion was supposed to happen.
   Now, why do English people celebrate the slaughter of Catholics? I've concluded that it's not so much who the rebels were, it's more what they represented which was chaos and rebellion. So with killing them first, England was able to remain stable and for the first time in centuries, the rebels didn't destroy all order in the UK. The celebration can be compared to our July 4th because there are great firework displays all over England, Scotland, and Wales. But it's different because instead of an organization setting off fireworks, it's everyone setting off individual fireworks! Quite chaotic...haha So there you have it, the story of Guy Fawkes, if you didn't understand how I said it, you should watch V for Vendetta, because it's about Guy Fawkes.

Burning the effigy of Guy Fawkes:

The next holiday is one that we also celebrate in America except in Britain it's a little different. November 11-Veterans Day/Remembrance Day. Here to show their support most people start wearing red poppy's a week into November and everyday more and more people wear them. I never really thought as Veterans day as a somber day, but I've also never lived in a town that was heavily bombed in both World Wars. In World War II, Bath- being one of the most historic places in England was targeted to demoralize the British people and a lot of my street, the Royal Crescent and the town center was destroyed. So even though Veterans Day is a day of appreciation and remembrance, here it's more about remembering the devastation that occurred all over the innocent British countryside. I guess being here has made me really thankful that because of our families actions in past and present wars, we can live relatively peacefully without the constant fear of being bombed. With that being said, Happy Veterans Day! For everyone that's ever served for America, I truly appreciate your courage and dedication to our country.