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Foto del escritorSara Holmes
21 oct 20215 Min. de lectura

Episodio 60: Especial de Guy Fawkes Day del Reino Unido (¡en Inglés!)

Este es el tercero episodio especial de 2021 para Respuestas Inglesas, y hoy vamos a tratar algo nuevo.¡Este episodio especial va a estar en inglés! So let's begin - what is Guy Fawkes Day, and how do they celebrate it in England?

*Lo sé, dije en el audio que este es el segundo episodio especial, pero en realidad es el tercero. Ha sido una semana difícil. :(

 
 

Algunas notas antes de empezar:

  • No vamos a tener un consejo cultural en este episodio, porque todo del episodio es un consejo cultural. Vamos a seguir con los consejos culturales normales en Episodio 61.

  • Y me disculpa por llegar tan tarde con esta publicación. Las últimas semanas han sido un poco difíciles ya que nos enfrentamos a diferentes emergencias familiares. ¡Muchas gracias por tu paciencia mientras las procesamos y lidiamos!

  • Además, me equivoqué en los últimos blogs / podcasts. En Episodio 58, dije que el potro es la palabra para la cría de un caballo. En inglés, se dice foal, y en español se dice el potrillo. Pero el potro es más como colt en inglés, que significa un caballo joven pero no es un bebé. En Episodio 57, dije que un patito en español es pavipollo o pavezno, pero esos son en realidad términos para pavo bebé o poult, en inglés. No sé por qué, pero he estado mezclando esos dos animales. Son completamente diferentes, ¡lo sé! Pero ahí está. Duckling es el patito o anadón, ya que ánade también significa pato.

What is Guy Fawkes Day?

In essence, it is the celebration of Parliament and the Monarchy not being blown up. You see, back in 1605, Guy Fawkes and his associates decided they would try to kill King James I, a protestant monarch, by blowing up Parliament. Why? Well, they weren't too pleased with King James I (obviously!). There had been a lot of hope that he would be more tolerant towards Catholics than his predecessor, Queen Elizabeth I, but this soon proved to be in vain when he publicly condemned Catholicism in 1604 and mostly continued Queen Elizabeth's repressive policies towards Catholics, like fining anyone who refused to go to Protestant services.


So they decided they would solve this religious problem by blowing up King James I, his eldest son, and Parliament when everyone gathered together for the opening ceremony of a new session of Parliament. Guy Fawkes would light the fuse, then escape via boat, while his buddies began an uprising elsewhere in the country. They would then replace King James I with his daughter, Elizabeth, thereby establishing a puppet queen until they could marry her off to a Catholic and once again have a Catholic monarchy.


Fortunately for England, they were betrayed and the so called Gunpowder Plot was discovered. Basically, an anonymous letter was sent to a Catholic sympathizer to warn them not to attend the opening ceremony, a warning which came to King James' attention. Guy Fawkes was found lurking in the cellars below Parliament on November 4, next to 36 barrels of gunpowder that they had smuggled in via tunneling and time. Fawkes was tortured for two days until he finally cracked, and his co-conspirators were either arrested or killed during the process. (For example, the actual mastermind behind the Gunpowder Plot, Robert Catesby, died in a gun fight with English troops.) Honestly, those who died during arrest had it easy. The survivors were executed for treason via hanging, and many drawn and quartered alive (which involved quite grotesque mutilations).


If you want to learn more about the history of this day, check out the articles from Encyclopaedia Britannica and History.com. Or check out the really interesting YouTube video by Cody Bonds below.



How Do They Celebrate It?

Because the actual assassination was to take place on November 5, the holiday is celebrated November 5th. And it is an epic way to celebrate something - they light HUGE bonfires! Hence why this day is also called Bonfire Night. In memory of the barrels of gunpowder that didn't explode, they also have fireworks! On a little bit of a more morbid note, people will create "guys", or dummies (similar to un espantajo, but not quite...it is really an effigy, or una efigie), often made to look like Guy Fawkes, which they then burn on the bonfires. Children might also go around asking for "a penny for the Guy", and people will give them money, which they then use to buy fireworks.


Interestingly, guards also "search" Parliament in a ceremonial show of checking for arsonists.


You can check out the video below for a British person's explanation of Guy Fawkes Day!


City of Lewes

The city of Lewes, located in southeastern England, has a huge Guy Fawkes Day celebration. They actually have six bonfire societies that can trace membership back for generations in various families. The Wall Street Journal actually has a video on YouTube (see below) talking about the local concern over the event becoming too big for the city to safely handle! I wonder if they ever got that figured out? But if you want to catch a glimpse of what Bonfire Night looks like, check out their video!


Important Poem

Lastly, you can't forget the poem! In regards to Guy Fawkes Day, this poem is HUGE. Especially the "Remember, remember! The fifth of November" - I heard that a lot during my research for this episode. :)

Remember, remember! The fifth of November, The Gunpowder treason and plot; I know of no reason Why the Gunpowder treason Should ever be forgot!

(For the full poem, click here!) Who is the author? Unknown. It's just a traditional English poem that has lasted for a long time.


Recuerda, aprender un idioma es una travesía para toda la vida.

Embrace it, Enjoy it, and Share it!

 

LAS NOTAS DEL PODCAST:


Música de la introducción y conclusión por Master_Service de Fiverr

Música de la transición para el Consejo Cultural editada de la canción por Tim Moor de Pixabay.


Los Recursos de Investigación

Episodio / Consejo Cultural

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