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reetings from Australia.
Welcome to
this Red-Letter Day. Below you will find today's global celebrations,
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Remember, remember the Fifth of November,
Gunpowder Treason and Plot.
We know no reason why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot.
Holla boys! holla boys! huzza-a-a!
A stick and a stake, for King George's sake,
A stick and a stump, for Guy Fawkes's rump!
Holla boys! holla boys! huzza-a-a! Traditional English rhyme on the Gunpowder Plot of 1605;
alternatively, "Please to remember the Fifth of November"
A rope, a rope, a rope to hang the pope. Traditional English rhyme on the Gunpowder Plot of 1605
Here is the pope that we have got
The whole promoter of the plot.
We'll stick a pitchfork in his back
And throw him in the fire. Traditional English rhyme on the Gunpowder Plot of 1605
Imagination is the only key to the future. Without it none
exists – with it all things are possible. Ida M Tarbell, American pioneer investigative journalist, born on
November 5, 1857
… remember, america
eugene debs said he would not
lead you into paradise if he could,
because if he could lead you in,
someone else could lead you out, that
was the text you ought to have
listened to, that was the text you
ought to have believed, instead you
bought a world free for democracy
and you bought a return to normalcy,
and you bought a new deal, and four
freedoms (freedoms you might only
have, anyhow, if you look deep inside
yourself where all freedom is to be
found, and not with rockwell hands so
carefully and badly drawn . . .and then
america they will be unnumbered for you, america)
america yes the square deal and the
new frontier... Joel Oppenheimer, excerpt, '17-18
April, 1961', from Walter Lowenfels, Poets of Today: A New American
Anthology. Eugene V(ictor) Debs (November 5, 1855 - October 20, 1926), was a prominent American socialist politician,
presidential candidate and peace activist.
I have seen old ships sail like swans
asleep. James Elroy Flecker, English writer, born on November 5, 1884; from 'The Old
Ships'
I felt more keenly than before the need of a philosophy that would do justice
to the infinite vitality of nature. In the inexhaustible activity of the atom,
in the endless resourcefulness of plants, in the teeming fertility of animals,
in the hunger and movement of infants, in the laughter and play of children, in
the love and devotion of youth, in the restless ambition of fathers and the
lifelong sacrifice of mothers, in the undiscourageable researches of scientists
and the sufferings of genius, in the crucifixion of prophets and the martyrdom
of saints — in all things I saw the passion of life for growth and greatness,
the drama of everlasting creation. I came to think of myself, not as a dance and
chaos of molecules, but as a brief and minute portion of that majestic process
... I became almost reconciled to mortality, knowing that my spirit would
survive me enshrined in a fairer mold ... and that my little worth would somehow
be preserved in the heritage of men. In a measure the Great Sadness was lifted
from me, and, where I had seen omnipresent death, I saw now everywhere the
pageant and triumph of life. William James Durant, American historian, philosopher and writer, born on
November 5, 1885; from Transition (1927)
Human progress having reached a high level through respect for the liberty
and dignity of men, it has become desirable to re-affirm these evident truths:
That differences of race, color, and creed are natural, and that diverse
groups, institutions, and ideas are stimulating factors in the development of
man;
That to promote harmony in diversity is a responsible task of religion
and statesmanship;
That since no individual can express the whole truth, it is essential to
treat with understanding and good will those whose views differ from our own;
That by the testimony of history intolerance is the door to violence,
brutality and dictatorship; and
That the realization of human interdependence and solidarity is the best
guard of civilization. William James Durant; from 'Declaration of Interdependence' (1945),
introduced into the US Congressional Record on
October 1, 1945
A civilization is not conquered from without until it is destroyed from
within. William James Durant; attributed
If man asks for many laws it is only because he is sure that his neighbor
needs them; privately he is an unphilosophical anarchist, and thinks laws in his
own case superfluous. William James Durant; attributed
If you wish to be loved, be modest; if you wish to be admired, be proud; if
you wish both, combine external modesty with internal pride. William James Durant; attributed
India was the motherland of our race, and Sanskrit the mother of Europe's
languages: she was the mother of our philosophy; mother, through the Arabs, of
much of our mathematics; mother, through the Buddha, of the ideals embodied in
Christianity; mother, through the village community, of self-government and
democracy. Mother India is in many ways the mother of us all. William James Durant; attributed
It is a mistake to think that the past is dead. Nothing that has ever
happened is quite without influence at this moment. The present is merely the
past rolled up and concentrated in this second of time. You, too, are your past;
often your face is your autobiography; you are what you are because of what you
have been; because of your heredity stretching back into forgotten generations;
because of every element of environment that has affected you, every man or
woman that has met you, every book that you have read, every experience that you
have had; all these are accumulated in your memory, your body, your character,
your soul. So with a city, a country, and a race; it is its past, and cannot be
understood without it. William James Durant; attributed
In the Roman
calendar, the nones of a month were the fifth day of the months
January, February,
April, June,
August, September,
November, and December,
and the seventh day of March,
May, July,
and October; traditionally
the day of the Half Moon.
The nones were nine days before the ides (depending on the month, these could be the 13th
and 15th day; traditionally the day of the Full Moon), reckoning inclusively, according to the Roman
method.
The term none came into Christian
liturgical use, meaning 'the fifth of the seven canonical hours' (no
longer used) or 'the time of day appointed for this service, usually the
ninth hour after sunrise'.
"While the Lares and Di Penates are honored
every day in the pious Roman household, the Nones (celebrated on either
the 5th or 7th day of the month; see the Calendar)
are days when a more elaborate ceremony should be observed. The Nones
are sacred to Iuno Covella (Iuno of the Hollow Moon).
"The Nones ritual is usually celebrated early
in the morning at sunrise by the head of the household (usually the
eldest male). If circumstances (or family tradition) dictate, it may be
performed at noon or before sunset. No sexual activity is permitted
prior to the rite. The performer of the rite does not break his fast
prior to performing the rite (if celebrated at sunrise); only a little
tea or coffee is permitted.
"Before the rite the Paterfamilias washes his
hands (having also previously bathed or showered beforehand) while
saying the prayer
for ablution …" Nones
Ritual
Guy Fawkes
Night (often referred to as Bonfire Night) is celebrated with bonfires and
fireworks on
November 5, or the closest Friday or Saturday night.
Until the
19th Century, there was a special Church of England service for this
commemoration in the Book of Common Prayer. Guy Fawkes Day became a public
holiday in 1606 when it was proclaimed by an Act of Parliament. In
commemoration of the Gunpowder Plot on this day in 1605, when Guy Fawkes
and his comrades tried to blow up King James I and the whole English
Parliament, English people still burn a 'guy' in effigy.
Traditionally, the guy's cap was made of paper
and knotted with ribbon-like paper strips. The dummy carried matches in
one hand and a dark lantern in the other. Children would go around the
streets asking for money, saying "Please to remember the guy!" In 1850,
in Britain, there was a strong wave of anti-Catholic sentiment, and the guy
was often in the likeness of the Catholic Archbishop of Westminster. Despite the nature of the events commemorated, little political or sectarian significance is attached to
Guy Fawkes celebrations these days.
In 1857, the popular guy was Nana Sahib who had
brought military embarrassment to the British during the so-called Indian
Mutiny, in which uppity colonials stood up for their rights. At
Lincoln's Field, England, the huge Guy Fawkes Night bonfire used to be
made of 200 cartloads of fuel and was topped by 30 guys, or effigies of
Guy Fawkes ...
In Britain there are several other traditions
associated with the occasion: the eating of bonfire toffee, a dark type
of toffee made with black treacle; parkin,
a cake made with the same black treacle; toffee
apples, the traditional 'apple lollipop', which consists of an apple
coated in toffee on top of a stick; and baked
potatoes which are traditionally wrapped in foil and cooked in the
bonfire.
"Till lately, a special service for
the 5th of November formed part of the ritual of the English
Book of Common Prayer; but by a recent ordinance of the Queen in Council,
this service, along with those for the Martyrdom
of Charles I, and the Restoration
of Charles II, has been abolished. The appointment of this day, as
a holiday, dates from an enactment of the British parliament passed in
January 1606, shortly after the narrow escape made by the legislature from
the machinations of Guy Fawkes and his confederates.
"That the gunpowder treason,
however, should pass into oblivion is not likely, as long as the
well-known festival of Guy Fawkes's Day is observed by English
juveniles, who still regard the 5th of November as one of
the most joyous days of the year. The universal mode of observance
through all parts of England, is the dressing up of a scare-crow
figure, in such cast-habiliments as can be procured (the head-piece,
generally a paper-cap, painted and knotted with paper strips in
imitation of ribbons), parading it in a chair through the streets, and
at nightfall burning it with great solemnity in a huge bonfire. The
image is supposed to represent Guy Fawkes, in accordance with which
idea, it always carries a dark lantern in one hand, and a bunch of
matches in the other. The procession visits the different houses in
the neighbourhood in succession, repeating the time-honoured rhyme:
"' Remember, remember!
The fifth of November,
The Gunpowder treason and plot;
There is no reason
Why the Gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot!'
"Numerous variations and
additions are made in different parts of the country. Thus in Islip,
Oxfordshire, the following lines, as quoted by Sir Henry Ellis in his
edition of Brand's
Popular
Antiquities, are chanted.
"'The fifth of November,
Since I can remember,
Gunpowder treason and plot:
This is the day that God did prevent,
To blow up his king and parliament.
A stick and a stake,
For Victoria's sake;
If you won't give me one,
I'll take two:
The better for me,
And the worse for you.'
"One invariable custom is
always maintained on these occasions—that of soliciting money from
the passers-by, in the formula, 'Pray remember Guy!' 'Please to
remember Guy!' or 'Please to remember the bonfire!'
"In former times, in London,
the burning of the effigy of Guy Fawkes on the 5th of
November was a most important and portentous ceremony. The bonfire in
Lincoln's Inn Fields was conducted on an especially magnificent scale.
Two hundred cart-loads of fuel would sometimes be consumed in feeding
this single fire, while upwards of thirty 'Guys' would be suspended on
gibbets and committed to the flames. Another tremendous pile was
heaped up by the butchers in Clare Market, who on the same evening
paraded through the streets in great force, serenading the citizens
with the famed 'marrow-bone-and-cleaver' music. The uproar throughout
the town from the shouts of the mob, the ringing of the bells in the
churches, and the general confusion which prevailed, can but faintly
be imagined by an individual of the present day.
"The ferment occasioned
throughout the country by the 'Papal Aggression' in 1850, gave a new
direction to the genius of 5th of November revellers.
Instead of Guy Fawkes, a figure of Cardinal Wise-man, then recently
created 'Archbishop of Westminster' by the pope, was solemnly burned
in effigy in London, amid demonstrations which certainly gave little
evidence of any revolution in the feelings of the English people
towards the Romish see. In 1857, a similar honour was accorded to Nana
Sahib, whose atrocities at Cawnpore in the previous month of July, had
excited such a cry of horror throughout the civilised world.
"The opportunity also is
frequently seized by many of that numerous class in London, who get
their living no one exactly knows how, to earn a few pence by parading
through the streets, on the 5th of November, gigantic
figures of the leading celebrities of the day. These are sometimes
rather ingeniously got up, and the curiosity of the passer-by, who
stops to look at them, is generally taxed with the contribution of a
copper.
On November 5, the
villagers of Shebbear in Devon gather in the front of Berry House to
'turn the Devil's Stone' (or 'Devil's Boulder'), a great conglomerate rock that is turned
every year to ensure good fortune for the village. The stone itself
(which has an unnamed sibling about 750 metres to the north) is about two
metres (about six feet) long and weighing about one ton. It is not from a
local rock formation and is, in fact, an 'erratic' – that is, a
stone from elsewhere, such as those deposited in one of the Ice Ages.
Perhaps its unusual character explains the mystery and traditions
surrounding it ...
Apaturia, ancient Greece
(Nov 3 - 5);
Koureotis, final day
Observed in much of ancient Greece, Koureotis, the third and final day of this clan festival, was the day on which children were accepted and initiated into the
phratria, or clan, somewhat congruent with a christening ceremony. Children were dedicated to their matronal or patronal deities when presented before the assembled tribe.
The Manor of Chetwode, near Buckingham, England,
has for centuries been the scene of a unique custom. In olden times,
the Liberty of Chetwode, a forest, was troubled by a wild boar. When
the Lord of Chetwode killed the beast, the king awarded him the
right to a special tax, the Rhyne
Toll. Consequently, the owners of cattle found grazing on the domain from October 30
till November 7 are levied annually. In 1810;
the skeleton of an enormous boar was found in a mound called
Boar's Head Field on the Chetwode domain.
Round about today (variable)
begins the fire ceremony for Masaw, the
Hopi Native American God of
Death, and Spider Woman, the Earth Mother. It represents the new
cycle of emergence of the planet.
Egyptian day (dies egypticus, dies ægypticus or
dies mala), unlucky day in
Medieval Europe. ("But, notwithstanding, I will trust the Lord"
was the associated saying.)
Kitano Odori, Kyoto, Japan (Nov 1 - 15) In the big city of Kyoto,
Japan, at the Kitano Kaikan theatre, from
November 1 to
15 is a
festival featuring music and dancing groups.
First call for Independence Day
In El Salvador today there
are celebrations of the first battle for independence from Spain,
the liberation forces being led by Jose Martias Delgado on this day
in 1811.
Arbor Day, Western Samoa Today's public holiday observes the
importance of trees on this Pacific Island.
Burning
of the tar
barrels, Ottery St
Mary,
Devon,
England In a 17th-Century
tradition, barrels soaked in tar are set alight and carried aloft
through parts of the town. Seventeen barrels are lit, outside
seventeen pubs in turn. The good folk of Ottery St Mary also
celebrate
Pixie Day in June.
Video
from YouTube
"In the
afternoon and early evening there are women's and boy's barrels,
but as the evening progresses the barrels get larger and by
midnight they weigh at least 30 kilos. A great sense of
camaraderie exists between the 'Barrel Rollers', despite the
fact that they tussle constantly for supremacy of the barrel."
Source
Lewes is the county town of East Sussex, England.
It is situated in a gap in the South
Downs where the
River Ouse
runs. It also serves as the administrative capital of the Lewes
district.
The current celebrations take the form of a
series of torchlit
processions through the town. The event is organised by the
local bonfire
societies. Lewes itself currently has seven bonfire societies (Nevill
is a children's society and holds its celebrations a week or two
before the 5th November; Southover, which disbanded in 1985,
reformed in 2005) and a number of nearby towns have their own
bonfire societies. The other five local bonfire societies from the
town (Borough, Cliffe, Commercial Square, South
Street and Waterloo) each proceed on their own route
accompanied by a number of other societies from the neighbouring
towns. Each bonfire society has its own traditional costumes
(ranging from Tudor
dress to Mongol
warriors). A number of large effigies
(effigies don't contain fireworks when dragged through the street;
they are dummies, but the tableaux do contain fireworks)
are drawn though the streets. Effigies of Guy
Fawkes and Pope Paul
V, who became head of the Roman
Catholic Church in 1605
feature every year. In addition, each of the five main local
societies creates a topical effigy, and the Cliffe society displays
on pikes the heads (also in effigy!) of its current "Enemies of
Bonfire". In 2001,
an effigy of
Osama
bin Laden ensured that the annual event received more press
attention than usual. The effigy was featured on the front page of a
number of national newspapers. To mark the demise of the 17 martyrs,
17 burning crosses are carried through the town, and a wreath-laying
ceremony occurs at the War Memorial in the centre of town. A
'tar barrel' is also thrown into the
River Ouse.
The festivities culminate in five separate bonfire displays, where
the effigies are destroyed by firework and flame. Up to 80,000
people have been known to attend this local spectacle.
1855Eugene
Debs (Eugene V[ictor] Debs; d. October 20, 1926),
American socialist politician, presidential candidate and peace
activist. A speech
he gave on June
16, 1918, landed him in the slammer for ten years.
1857Ida
Tarbell (Ida M Tarbell; d. January 6, 1944), American
author and pioneer investigative journalist,
known as one of the leading muckrakers. Her
investigative report of Standard Oil
for McClure's
magazine ran in 19 parts from November 1902 to October 1904. These were
collected and published as The
History of the Standard Oil Company in 1904. It placed fifth
in a 1999 list of
the top 100 works of journalism in the 20thCentury. Her reports fuelled public attacks on Standard Oil and in
trusts in general, and the book is credited with hastening the 1911
break-up of Standard Oil.
reetings from Australia.
How it works
Guy Fawkes Night, 
