Everyone expects to hear the distinct whizz and bang of fireworks at this time of year, and many of us will be grabbing ourselves a toffee apple and heading to our nearest firework display on November 5.
But the history of why we light fireworks on the same date every year goes back over four centuries.
The origin of Bonfire Night dates all the way back to 1605, and marks the anniversary of a failed attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament.
November 5 often goes by another name: Guy Fawkes Night. Guy (Guido) Fawkes was part of a group of men behind the Gunpowder Plot - a plan to kill the King at the time, James I, and his government using barrels of gunpowder.
The group were Catholics while England was Protestant-run, and hoped that their plot to kill everyone in Parliament would lead to a Catholic monarch taking the throne.
Fawkes and his gang rolled 36 barrels of gunpowder into the cellars beneath the Houses of Parliament, ready to light them on November 5th and cause an almighty explosion that would completely destroy the buildings above.
However, their plan was foiled when one of the lords who worked in Parliament received an anonymous letter, warning him to steer clear on the day.
King James’ people were alerted, authorities searched the cellars to find Fawkes guarding the explosives, and the plan was foiled.
The date has been celebrated ever since. King James I’s Parliament officially declared November 5 as a day of thanksgiving to celebrate the monarch’s survival.
The public marked the occasion by igniting gunpowder to represent the explosives that were never used in Guy Fawkes’ failed plot, a tradition that carries on today with our colourful firework displays.
The tradition of lighting bonfires that lends November 5 its name dates all the way back to the very first celebrations too.
Children would make life-size effigies of Guy Fawkes, usually made out of straw and dressed in old clothes like a scarecrow, to burn on the bonfires.
They would parade their “Guy” through the streets and ask passers-by for a penny to spend on Bonfire Night sweets, which is where the saying “Penny for the Guy” comes from. Although the tradition is now a rare sight, it was very popular up to the 1960s.
The night is also marked with delicious food, the sweet and stodgy treats which have been traditionally eaten at the start of winter for generations have become synonymous with November 5, due to the night falling at the same time as the seasons change.
No Bonfire Night would be complete without a toffee apple, which is said to originate from the annual apple harvests falling at this time of year.
Some regions even have their own traditions when it comes to Bonfire Night food, which are closely linked to the arrival of the colder months.
Parkin cake is a favourite in Yorkshire, a gingerbread cake traditionally made with oats and black treacle. The origins of parkin cake are unclear, but are thought to date back to the long-held tradition of eating special cakes at the start of winter.
In Lancashire, black peas are commonly eaten on the night, while warm baked potatoes - originally baked in the hot ashes of a bonfire - are a popular choice nationally.
In recent years Bonfire Night has become a bit of a smaller affair, especially with Halloween the week before having grown to one of the biggest celebrations in the UK calendar.
Fireworks are also now commonly used to celebrate other occasions, such as New Year. But the popularity of the original Guy Fawkes Night persists, with the occasion still marked with public firework displays across the country.
Lewes is particularly renowned for its spectacular Bonfire Night celebrations , with the Sussex town playing host to the largest November 5 festivities in the UK.
The event also commemorates Protestant martyrs from Lewes who were burned at the stake in the 1500s. Dubbed the “Bonfire capital of the world”, Lewes is home to seven bonfire societies who all put on displays and processions in the town on the night.
So even though some of the traditional celebrations may be fizzling out, Bonfire Night is still going strong over four centuries after it began.
