The Thanksgiving Act basically gives Englanders (and at the time, all those in the commonwealth) an excuse to light fireworks and celebrate something. They call it Guy Fawkes Day.
Guy Fawkes was a Roman Catholic resorationist during the early 17th century. He was the leader of a gunpowder plot that aimed to displace Protestant rule. At the time, Catholics sustained loads of persecution. So Mr. Fawkes’ solution was to blow up King James and the rest of the government.
His plan was foiled, but just barely. When caught, he was hanged, drawn, and quartered.
That’s where the Thanksgiving Act of 1605 comes in. The common people were given permission to light fireworks and have controlled bonfires throughout the country (the colonies were included, including the little colonies of America). Traditionally, people create effigies of Guy Fawkes and burning them throughout the streets. During the day children parade around their “Guys” and ask for some pennies to help burn him. Lovely children’s activity. The money usually goes toward sparklers or other fireworks.
If you’ve seen V for Vendetta, the mask that guy wears originally comes from Guy Fawkes. I’ve never seen the movie, but Guy’s mask can be seen a lot on Guy Fawkes Day.
George Washington put a stop to the holiday in the colonies because it represents loyalty to the British Government, but we basically just moved our holiday to the 4th of July instead of the 5th of November and renamed it Independence Day.
It seriously felt like 4th of July to me, despite the nippy weather. And yes, I’m backtracking and covering a few random events from the passed month.
The streets were crazy crowded that night. We planned to go to a park to get a good view of some of the bigger fireworks, but we weren’t positive as to the park’s location. Luckily for us, all we had to do was follow the giant mob of people. We ended up at a place where tents were set up where they were selling fish and chips and ice cream galore. There was also a jumping castle and other games for kids. We really just walked around to see everything. Kids ran around with sparklers or glow sticks while the adults stood around with their drinks socializing and allowing themselves to step out from behind their proper British façades.
What we really loved, however, were the fireworks. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a fireworks show so loaded before. The above picture really doesn’t do it justice, but it was impossible to capture.
Here is a Guy Fawkes Day song:
A traitor to the Crown by his action,
No Parli'ment mercy from any faction,
His just end should'st be grim,
What should we do? Burn him!
Holler boys, holler boys, let the bells ring,
Holler boys, holler boys, God save the King!
A penny loaf to feed the Pope
A farthing o' cheese to choke him.
A pint of beer to rinse it down.
A fagot of sticks to burn him.
Burn him in a tub of tar.
Burn him like a blazing star.
Burn his body from his head.
Then we'll say ol' Pope is dead.
Hip hip hoorah!
Hip hip hoorah hoorah!
Here's the night we went to the London Temple.
It is about an hour’s train ride to get to the London Temple from the Victoria Station. I spent the ride swimming in and out of consciousness. I tend to do that when I’m traveling. It was pouring rain when we were trying to nab taxis to help us complete our journey. Dr. Paxman shoved ten pounds in my hand and shoved six of us out to get one. We crammed into a sketchy looking van. I kept looking for some kind of liscense like they are required to display in New York, but I didn’t see one- nor did it look like the taxis in the city. But we figured since we were on our way to the temple we would be kept safe.
The ride there was painfully quiet. The only thing I could listen to was this weirdo techno music he was playing. Europeans love their techno-ish music, but this was like techno classical… painful.
But the actual temple experience was, of course, fantastic. We all left with high spirits, despite the fact that the rain was coming down twice as hard as before.
There was a day, though I can’t remember which particular day it was, that we went to Covent Gardens with a purpose: to eat Ben’s cookies. Mmm… Ben’s cookies… I don’t think I’ll ever be satisfied with American chocolate ever again. And putting that chocolate into warm, chewy cookies just can’t ever be matched anywhere.
So as I began to munch on my orange chocolate cookie (my favorite) a big crowd was gathering for some performers. We thought we’d stick around for once. We never really pay these guys any attention. Check out the guy balancing a ladder on his head. This is legit! A completely ordinary ladder was placed on his head and he was able to do pushups with it. Later, while his loud and flamboyant partner juggled apples and knives on an unusually tall unicycle, he balanced a bicycle on his forehead. Random- but I thought it was cool and wanted to share.
One day Sarah and I took a walk around a part of the University College London campus. It wasn’t as obviously ancient as Oxford, but it still had some amazing architecture going on. I certainly wouldn’t mind going to school there.
Yet there’s always something weird, right?
Meet Jeremy Bentham.
This is his old body, with a wax head placed on top of the spine. The real head is in the university vaults. Bentham was an English philosopher- and a conceited one at that. In his will he asked that his body be preserved and dressed in his own clothes, sitting in his own chair, as he would have been doing in life. Oh- and kept on display so that all could admire him.
Well… soon his deteriorating head wilted right off of his neck. The disgusting head was then placed between his legs and continued to be displayed… that is, until students began trying to steal the head to use it for football (soccer). So much for admiration, huh? So the head is now safely in the university vaults. I saw pictures, but I wont subject you to any.
So there you have it… a quick catch-up on a few notable events. I wish I could record everything, but it’s utterly impossible. The Wellcome museum, teaching Sunday school for the cute but rambunctious 4-7 year olds, falling down the stairs in the Centre… there’s just too much. But I do what I can.
I'm glad you liked Oxford better... :)
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