Monday Moods: I feel... Fawkes-y.


... Remember, Remember The Fifth of November ...

This Friday, I got to celebrate my first Guy Fawkes night
in a proper English fashion:
A night in Battersea park for the festivities
sandwiched between hanging out in a pub with friends.

{The pub, The Prince of Wales, was actually really great.}

If you aren't a British History buff,
in the 1600's Guy Fawkes attempted to blow up Parliament 
by stashing gun powder underneath the main building.

His plot was uncovered at the last minute
and was promptly... "snuffed out,"
Guy Fawkes was hung, drawn & quartered 
at the Tower of London as punishment.

Err... oops.




Today, Britain celebrates the foiling of his plans
by building bonfires and throwing "faux Fawkes" on top
and setting off fireworks to symbolize the (could have been) gun powder explosions.




fireworks make everyone happy.

It's all pretty funny & medieval, actually.


Last year, we skipped town to try out the Canary Islands,
but this year, we couldn't miss out on a night in London
meeting up with some of our friends from Oxford.




{We miss our friends!}

We went to Battersea Park and were amazed
by the crowds of people...
oh my goodness, it was insane.




At the end of the night, the gates were so full and crowded,
the crowds opted to climb over the high fences 
and jump to the outer road.

Watching hundreds of people scale these wrought iron poles 
and jump to the pavement below
was like watching the last 30 minutes of "Titanic."

While I can't say Guy Fawkes was the most exciting event
- consisting mainly of standing in a field and waiting in the cold-
the fireworks were great
and the bonfire was a really fun (and redneck) way
to change up our London scene.

*You can also watch V for Vendetta for a modern remake of Guy Fawkes plot.*





*all images original to Aspiring Kennedy
*images 6 & 7 shot by Alanna Petroff

15 comments:

  1. Yes, it was cold wasn't it? i whined non stop!

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  2. Wonder if they televise all the fun... after a cold week with no power, standing outside would have been a big challenge for me!
    xxoo

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  3. Ah, Guy Fawkes night is so fun! I have such special memories of it from when I was younger: watching the fireworks and then having homemade chilli on our patio wrapped up in coats and gloves by the bonfire!

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  4. I do miss this. They should celebrate it worldwide! Gorgeous photos.

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  5. i never knew about this holiday - fireworks make everything more fun, don't they? :)

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  6. How fun!! I think there is a small group of ex-pats here in San Francisco that celebrate this out at one of the beaches. I may have to crash one year!

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  7. ha! i heard about this celebration on friday (my marketing manager is British!) looks like lots o fun. xoxo jillian:: shabbly apple giveaway!

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  8. Haha - I looove V for Vendetta! All the people jumping the fences reminds me of how it was at the FIFA world cup this year on the way out - complete and utter mayhem!

    Glad you had a fun weekend :)

    xoxo
    Jenna

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  9. Sounds like fun weekend! You learn something new everyday. Thanks for sharing some British history.

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  10. SO cool Lauren! I'm just going to stop telling you I'm jealous of everything you do and assume it's a given. V For Vendetta is one of my favorite movies. Hahaha, adding redneck shenanigans is always OK.

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  11. Ha! The Brits sure do love their fireworks, don't they? I love what you're wearing. So stylish!

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  12. Guy Fawkes was definitely a childhood highlight! And I agree- you look very stylish for a bonfire!

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  13. This is awesome. I watched "V for Vendetta" Saturday night in honor of this. So awesome!

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  14. Ah fun- that last picture of you two is gorgeous.

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  15. Definitely sounds memorable -- and I agree with Christine. That last shot is just gorgeous! :)

    xoxo

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