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

[dennisr]

That Lewes "no popery" thing is really fucking weird.

a hangover from the civil war i guess

hold on - this...

Always held on 5 November, unless the 5th falls on a Sunday,[3] when they are held on Saturday 4th, the event not only marks the date of the uncovering of the Gunpowder Plot in 1605, but also commemorates the memory of the seventeen Protestant martyrs from the town burnt at the stake for their faith during the Marian Persecutions.[4]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewes_Bonfire

(i was wrong - they wee actually banned by Cromwell during the 'commonwealth' period)

According to wikiwhatsit

 

[_angel_]

parkin is yorkshire.
My dad's northern irish catholic and oddly enough never been big on bonfire night/ guy fawkes.
Seen penny for the guy couple of years back at Bramley and also quite big in Liverpool a few years ago also...

 

[Wilf]

Saw one on Friday (Stockton). Lazy fuckers had just put a coat and some tracksuit bottoms on the floor - nothing in 'em! Gave 'em 50p for the nerve of it.

 

[geminisnake]

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.

Really?? I burnt myself with a sparkler when I was about 5 and have NO memory of it other than being told that I did. Never put me off fireworks either

Not seen a guy for years but I think it's because the council stop bonfires now. Ime people put politicians faces on the guy and celebrate that Guy at least had a go!!

 

[LiamO]

In Ireland bonfire night is Hallowe'en, or to give it it's proper name Samhain. It marks the start of winter and is a ancient Celtic tradition going back thousands of years. In the last 30 years hallowe'en, fireworks and trick or treating has been re-imported back from the US. We don't burn effigies of anybody.

In the West they have a bonfire night in August I think... probably some religious festival/Sain'ts day.

Northern Unionists have theirs on July 11th... and burn effigies of the pope, Gerry Adams, Neil Lennon, Hunger Strikers, mother Theresa, Irish flags, etc etc. Yabba dabba do... any taig will do. Then they get pissed and... if they can't find a taig... or a protestant who has 'betrayed their culture' by not joining in... they beat each other up.

Here's a charming picture of a (probably state-funded) one with a lovely tricolour with KAT (Kill All Taigs). People take their kids along to this community celebration of their 'britishness'.

http://images.search.conduit.com/ImagePreview/?q=loyalist bonfires&ctid=CT2801948&searchsource=48&start=0&pos=21

I wonder what would happen if someone in england built one with 'Kill all Pakis' or 'Kill all N*****rs' on it? Do you think they might lose their council funding?

 

[UnderOpenSky]

That's pretty fucking shocking really. I'd like to say over England most people would be hard pressed to tell you the difference between a protestant and a catholic, but then I saw that video earlier on the thread and was a bit wtf.

 

[Citizen66]

It wasn't really a big thing in my home town when I was young, used to see it more when I visited my Gran and Granddad in Stoke on Trent.

 

[gawkrodger]

I used to have a great (academic) journal article on how peasants/w-c used to use guy Fawkes as a way to attack the local magistrates/landlords etc. Shame I've lost it

 

[Citizen66]

Would be interesting to read that. However I imagine a lot of w/c kids probably see it as a once-a-year easy way to make money without considering what the politics of it is. I doubt the majority of people who burn guys or celebrate Guy Fawkes' night are anti-Catholic any more than the majority of people who celebrate Christmas, In England at least, are actively Christian.

 

[jannerboyuk]

This looks like it could be the substation one



Don't remember this one either

All I can think of is the fireworks one and Jimmy Savile and Green Code Code ones

I like how the radio says "the electricity board killed a boy today"- proper discipline in those days y'see!

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

I like how the radio says "the electricity board killed a boy today"- proper discipline in those days y'see!

Just been talking to a 16-year-old in Ireland and telling her we were watching fireworks. She thought they were for Halloween. I told her that had been and gone and she mentioned we have bonfire night and it's the same thing isn't it. I told her it was otherwise known as Guy Fawkes Night. She asked who that was. I told her to google

 

[likesfish]

Around the turn of 20th century they sent the army into lewes in an attempt to stop the parades didnt really work.
its mostly for show now there be the traditional whine in the letter pages of the argus and it will be ignored this is a bonfire for local people for local people.