Remember, Remember the 5th of November

Bonfire night is a big deal back home, we have big bonfires with effigies of Guy Fawkes on top, fireworks and yummy food. Of course, I want Ebi-kun to learn about the different British traditions too. We couldn't go the whole hog and have a bonfire and fireworks but we had fun anyway.

We started off with the Fifth of November poem cut into strips and I challenged him to piece it together (Top Tip: If you do this sort of activity trim the excess from the strips because some kids try and jigsaw piece them together rather than read!) 

Then we made cake, yes more cake! This time an orange and red sponge cake baked in a pudding basin. Whilst he was busy with that I made a hotpot and we had jacket potatoes to go with it - yum! 

Once it was baked we decorated it, we used Topo for branches and built our bonfire, we ran out of time to make a Guy so we sacrificed a poor Lego chap instead! He doesn't look very impressed!

After dinner Ebi-kun stuck the strips into his journal and decorated with fireworks...

Where I lived until I was 8 years old was on the top of the hill on one side of the valley, we had a great view and bonfire night meant sitting in our bedroom window eating toffee apples and pomegranates, watching all the fireworks going off in the valley. Mom is not a big fan of fireworks so we only went to properly organized events and not until I was older. When my husband visited England for the first time, we took him to the local school event, he couldn't get his head around watching fireworks whilst freezing your buns off! Fireworks are very much a summer time thing here.

And here is the poem, I bet most people (myself included) only remember the first couple of lines!

Remember, remember! 

The fifth of November, 

The Gunpowder treason and plot; 

I know of no reason 

Why the Gunpowder treason 

Should ever be forgot! 

Guy Fawkes and his companions 

Did the scheme contrive, 

To blow the King and Parliament 

All up alive. 

Threescore barrels, laid below, 

To prove old England's overthrow. 

But, by God's providence, him they catch, 

With a dark lantern, lighting a match! 

A stick and a stake 

For King James's sake! 

If you won't give me one, 

I'll take two, 

The better for me, 

And the worse for you. 

A rope, a rope, to hang the Pope, 

A penn'orth of cheese to choke him, 

A pint of beer to wash it down, 

And a jolly good fire to burn him. 

Holloa, boys! holloa, boys! make the bells ring! 

Holloa, boys! holloa boys! God save the King! 

Hip, hip, hooor-r-r-ray!