Howdy !
I forgot to tell you in class about the Gunpowder's plot celebrated in England every 5th November. That day in England, there is a bonfire where the effigies of Guy Fawkes are burnt and there are fireworks ! It's a very special evening called Bonfire Night, Fireworks Night or Guy Fawkes Night. But what is the origin of this festivity ?
Well, it all goes back to November, 5th 1605, that is 410 years ago. A man, Guy Fawkes, and other people wanted to assassinate the king James I to defend Catholicism. They planned to kill the king by blowing up (or exploding) the Houses of Parliament with gunpowder, so they dug a tunnel into the Houses of Parliament. However, the King received an anonymous letter telling him all the plan, so he had Guy Fawkes and the other men arrested, they sentenced them to death and they were executed. The king declared this as a festivity so that everyone remembered to be good to the king and from that day on, there are fireworks and a bonfire night. There is also a famous song to commemorate this day. Here you have it.
The Fifth of November
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!
In case you don't understand, here you have a very good video explaining it. Please, watch it and comment !
Vocabulary of the video
Fireworks = Fuegos artificiales
Gunpowder = Pólvora
Plot = Conspiración
He caught the eye of a man = Un hombre llamó su atención
Cellar = Bodega
Plotters = Conspiradores
Gruesome = Espantoso, horripilante
Crows = Cuervos
Effigy = Efigie, (el modelo de una persona)
Sara: I understand the text but I also saw the video because I think is interesting to know about the traditions of other countries.
ReplyDeleteMichael : Thanks for watching and reading Sara. The video is very illustrative and it speaks a slow, understandable English
ReplyDelete