"Remember, remember, the 5th of November
Gunpowder, Treason and plot;
I know no reason why Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot."
The most incredible thing happened this year, our homeschooling group scheduled International Night on the 5th of November!!!
We knew instantaneously what our family needed to do for the occasion!
We
needed to do a presentation on England and one of their most famous national holidays....
Guy Fawkes Day!
This photo was taken after the presentation at International Night, but the girls and I had so much putting together a poster that displayed the history and the festivities that take place on Guy Fawkes Day!
For the fireworks and bonfire, we used wet chalk and Jillian colored this fun photo of Guy Fawkes!
An Abbreviated History of Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot: Guy Fawkes and several other English Catholics planned on assassinating King James 1 and restoring a Catholic monarch to the throne. Their plan involved blowing up the House of Lord's on the opening day of Parliament with barrels of gunpowder that were being hidden in the basement of the building. But there plan was foiled when some of the conspirators warned their friends with a letter, "Don't come to Parliament on the 5th of November". A search was conducted of the cellars and Guy Fawkes with his barrels of gunpowder was discovered.
After the foiling of the Gunpowder Plot, King James 1 encouraged his fellow Englishmen/ women to celebrate the saving of his life with bonfires (and later with fireworks too). And thus began, Guy Fawkes Day or Bonfire Night on the 5th of November.
We also put up some pictures of us as a family experiencing our first Guy Fawkes Day! These were Jillian's first fireworks to ever see.
Our friend, Auntie Jen, a Brit herself, brought over some special treats for us to share on International Night. She made lemon curd, taffy with treacle, HobNobs (chocolate covered biscuits), and parkin.
'
Lindsey and Aunt Michelle came to cheer Jillian on for her presentation.
Jillian gave a brief introduction to Guy Fawkes Day and is holding a straw representation (or a scarecrow) of Guy Fawkes that traditionally children would make and ask "A penny for the guy?". Then that evening the children would use their pennies to pay for fireworks. As for the scarecrow, it would become an effigy that would be thrown into the flames of the bonfire.
Brad gave a humorous retelling of the history and traditions of Guy Fawkes Day and then Jillian ended the presentation by reciting the famous Guy Fawkes poem ("Remember, Remember"). I was a super proud mama that night.
Then Jillian's Adventure Club choir sang several Christmas songs, a couple of which were in Spanish (very fitting for International Night).
After the presentations, it was time to go downstairs for the displays and food! My friend leant me some of her British memorabilia/ games for the diaplay and I added some of my favorite things to it! It all was a BIG HIT!
We also contributed to the yummy food to represent the various countries. In addition to what Auntie Jen gave to us to share with our friends, the girls and I went to Aunt Michelle's and made scones (both chocolate chip and raisin) for the occasion!
Taste of England
Presented by Jillian Holmes & Family and Friends
Scones:
British scones are often lightly sweetened, but may also be savoury. They frequently include raisins, currants, cheese or dates.
Lemon Curd:
The basic ingredients are beaten egg yolks, sugar, fruit juice, and zest which are gently cooked together until thick and then allowed to cool, forming a soft, smooth, intensely-flavored spread.
Parkin:
Parkin or Perkin is a soft cake traditionally made of oatmeal and black treacle, which originated in northern England. Parkin is generally moist and even sometimes sticky. Parkin is traditionally eaten on Bonfire Night, the 5th of November.
Here are some of the books I put out for our friends to have a look at:,
One of the game was "So you think you know English???"
The had to match the British word to equivalent American word.
British: American:
Digestives Graham Crackers
Wellingtons Boots
Football Soccer
Loo Restroom
Nappy Diaper
Petrol Gas
Jumper Sweater
Blower Telephone
Lift Elevator
Lorry Truck
Plaster Bandaid
Queue Line
Biscuit Cookie
Torch Flashlight
The other game our friends had to match the picture (King Henry VIII, Mark Twain, Jane Austen, Big Ben, Queen Elizabeth, The London Eye, Buckingham Palace, the tube, etc) to its correct name.
There was extra incentive to play this game well because there was a prize involved. While we lived in England one of my favorite memories was going to the apple orchard down the road from our college and picking apples. So as a prize, two names were drawn to win one of Aunt Michelle's deluxe caramel apples! Even Jillian was motivated to try to win!!! :-) It was a fun, memorable night.
