Last night I attended the first of two events to increase our carbon footprint and to launch large amounts of explosive into the air in small quantities. The venue: Ripley St Thomas C of E High School. Tonight, Lancaster Castle, when we shall attempt to explain all this to a group of international students. Should be interesting.
Yes, it's that uniquely English festival Bonfire Night (except the real thing is, of course on Monday 5 November). The Church where I was a curate had an 18th century Book of Common Prayer in the safe, which still contained a service for Nov 5 - a thanksgiving for deliverance from the Gunpowder plot. This was required by law until 1859, incidentally.
It's strange that an attempted act of terrorism and the ensuing vicious revenge on the plotters should become our only genuinely English national festival.
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