'Penny for the guy': has it vanished forever?

[editor]

When I was a kid we used to love making up a figure from old clothes and stuffed newspaper and wheeling it around town for some pennies - and then lobbing it on the bonfire on the 5th.

The custom seems to have completely vanished around Brixton. Have you seen any where you are?

 

[Belushi]

Thinking about it I haven't for a few years

 

[phildwyer]

Don't they do that any more? Gone the way of hitch-hiking has it?

Mind you, it was a bit anti-Catholic like.

Don't they actually burn the Pope in effigy in Lewes?

 

[caoineadh7]

When I was a kid we used to love making up a figure from old clothes and stuffed newspaper and wheeling it around town for some pennies - and then lobbing it on the bonfire on the 5th.

The custom seems to have completely vanished around Brixton. Have you seen any where you are?

Britains history is built on sectarianism and racism.

 

[Callum91]

Loads of them round here in Blackpool. Seen at least 6 today.

 

[bi0boy]

That's cos Blackpool is a backward Northern town languishing in times gone by.

 

[Geri]

I think the problem nowadays is that bonfire night is very rarely on 5th November anymore - it's often the Friday or Saturday of the week nearest to it, around here there have been fireworks last night, tonight, there are some tomorrow and Monday and some next Saturday!

 

[Andrew Hertford]

Burning effigies of people is a bit unpleasant really, but strange how it wasn't up until around 25 years ago.

Despite it's origins, I don't remember thinking it was anti catholic as a kid though, it was just.... some guy made of old clothes!

How did Catholics feel about it? My wife's a Catholic and she says she never really thought about it.

 

[editor]

Britains history is built on sectarianism and racism.

Most people haven't the slightest clue about Guy Fawkes past him being something to do with trying to blow up Parliament some time in history hundreds of years ago.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

When I was a kid we used to love making up a figure from old clothes and stuffed newspaper and wheeling it around town for some pennies - and then lobbing it on the bonfire on the 5th.

The custom seems to have completely vanished around Brixton. Have you seen any where you are?

Simple. Halloween became popular

Don't think it would go down too well if kids went around trick or treating and a couple of days later came looking for money

There used to be a young girl on Brixton Hill who went around with her guy every year, and every year she told me she's saving up for a moped. I always wondered if she ever saved enough for it but never found out

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Just watched a great display (I assume it was Battersea)

 

[gaijingirl]

How did Catholics feel about it? My wife's a Catholic and she says she never really thought about it.

I come from a v. Catholic family, went to Convent school and we used to go to a bonfire with Guy Fawkes on it. But I didn't really realise tbh... it's not like they taught that at school, they were too busy putting us off abortion.

 

[paolo]

Oh was that what it was? Heard it from here.

@Minx, btw

 

[Callum91]

That's cos Blackpool is a backward Northern town languishing in times gone by.

Not a fan then I assume? I've been to worse places.

 

[paolo]

Not a fan then I assume? I've been to worse places.

I've not.

 

[Andrew Hertford]

Simple. Halloween became popular

Don't think it would go down too well if kids went around trick or treating and a couple of days later came looking for money

There used to be a young girl on Brixton Hill who went around with her guy every year, and every year she told me she's saving up for a moped. I always wondered if she ever saved enough for it but never found out

That's cheating, I thought the money was only supposed to be for buying fireworks!

 

[framed]

Most people haven't the slightest clue about Guy Fawkes past him being something to do with trying to blow up Parliament some time in history hundreds of years ago.

I find it interesting, all the same, that Lewes' bonfire celebrations still revolve around anti-Catholicism...

As for the 'guys' there was always kids hung around outside of pubs in Glasgow with their 'guy' asking for pennies. I haven't been there on bonfire night for a good few years so not sure if it still happens, but I'd expect that it continues in some areas of the city.

 

[editor]

I find it interesting, all the same, that Lewes' bonfire celebrations still revolve around anti-Catholicism...

I went to one of the Lewes celebrations and it felt more like visiting a dark part of Britain's pagan past more than anything else.

 

[Shippou-Sensei]

i would say that even as a kid myself it was a bit rare


it's the whole kids going out to random places unsupervised thing


see also halloween which in my experience had it's apex around the 90's

that's was due to the influence of american culture balanced against isolationism and pedogedden


with penny fopr the guy.... well i'm 31 and penny for a guy was kinda dead to me as a child so i just the generation that would be doing it now kinda greqw up with parents who didn't do it

 

[Frances Lengel]

I've not.

Never been to Morcambe then?

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Oh was that what it was? Heard it from here.

@Minx, btw

Was a great one, but like last night's at Brockwell, was blocked by a roof, but still got to see plenty. My numb fingers are still recovering, as are my knees which were first kneeling on a battery, then a highlighter, then a cable, then a... really should tidy this window cill up

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

That's cheating, I thought the money was only supposed to be for buying fireworks!

Well course not, kids aren't allowed to buy fireworks

 

[tombowler]

i did see some very lame attempts at a guy round the Potteries when i lived there 4 years back. I laughed and said it would have to be a better one than that to get some money from me.

 

[framed]

I went to one of the Lewes celebrations and it felt more like visiting a dark part of Britain's pagan past more than anything else.

Yeah, I thought that came across in the video too, it was reminiscent of the 'fire festivals' in parts of Scotland.

Did you get to flame the Papal See then Ed?

 

[editor]

Sparklers were banned from Brockwell Park with the warning that anyone daring to light one up would be escorted out of the park and the entire display may be held up as a result.

Sparklers FFS!

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Burning effigies of people is a bit unpleasant really, but strange how it wasn't up until around 25 years ago.

Despite it's origins, I don't remember thinking it was anti catholic as a kid though, it was just.... some guy made of old clothes!

How did Catholics feel about it? My wife's a Catholic and she says she never really thought about it.

Dressing up as zombies is a bit unpleasant really as well

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Sparklers were banned from Brockwell Park with the warning that anyone daring to light one up would be escorted out of the park and the entire display may be held up as a result.

Sparklers FFS!

Can't have people burning their fingers now can you. They'll need the use of them to pick up pennies from the ground when they're poverty stricken

 

[StoneRoad]

No, I've not seen any for over a decade - at least around the doors - as it got replaced by the american import of "trick or treat" for allhallowseve.
Luckily, as I live right out in the sticks and we get neither of the former nor carol yodellers........nor mormons/jehovaswitnesses.....I can hear/see the odd bits of local "home" displays of fireworks at various times during the year.

 

[audiotech]

What ever happened to mischievous night, which took place on the night before bonfire night?

 

[gaijingirl]

That fireworks safety advert in the 70s? 80s? where the little girl picks up a sparkler and the screen goes black and you hear her scream... then you see her with a huge bandage looking sad. That has traumatised me basically for life. I can still picture it clearly.