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Guy
Fawkes Night in the UK
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"Please to Remember
The Fifth of November
Gunpowder, treason and
plot
We see no reason
Why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot!"
So runs the rhyme repeated by British children as the time
draws near for the annual Guy Fawkes celebration on November
5th each year.
On that
night, fireworks are released all over the UK. Bonfires are
lit and an effigy of Guy Fawkes is burnt.
In the days
leading up to the event, you are likely to be accosted in
the streets by children who show you a crudely made dummy
and ask for 'a penny for the Guy'.
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They'd be most
offended if you did give them a penny, they'll probably expect
at least ten pence, if not more. The money they collect will
be spent on fireworks for the celebration (although it's quiet
illegal to sell fireworks to children in the UK).
By the morning of November
6th it's all over. The smell of gunpowder is everywhere. Millions
of pounds of fireworks have gone up in smoke. The UK fire
service has had its busiest night of the year and thousands
have visited the accident and emergency units at British hospitals
for burns treatment. So
who was Guy Fawkes and why is he so unpopular? Find
out more.
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