Bonfire Night Sun.Nov.5 2006 牛津这边已经放了一个礼拜的鞭炮和焰火了,那感觉,有点像小时候过年。 虽然没有特意去看焰火,也没参加什么活动,但总归还是该给自己补下常识吧! Guy Fawkes Night or Bonfire Night This is an English festival that takes place on the 5th November. It commemorates what is known as the Gunpowder plot. A group of Catholic conspirators aimed to blow up the Houses of Parliament in Westminster London while the King was present hoping to foment a Catholic revolution. However, they were foiled in their scheme when a guard discovered Guy Fawkes in the basement of Parliament surrounded by barrels of gunpowder. After much torture he revealed all and the conspirators were rounded up and executed in the grizzly fashion of the day reserved for traitors: Hung, Drawn and Quartered. Today this festival is very popular with children. They build their own Guy –a dummy of stuffed clothes that resembles a person –and put it on top of a bonfire. Finally, as the bonfire rages fireworks are released symbolizing the explosions that never took place all those years ago. 盖伊·福克斯之夜( 或篝火节之夜) 这是英国的传统节日,时间为每年的11月5 日。它纪念“火药的阴谋”这个历史 事件。一小撮天主教反叛分子密谋炸毁位于伦敦威斯敏斯特的英国国会大厦,当时国 王正在开会,讨论天主教改革的事宜。但是,密谋泄露了,一个卫兵发现了当时正在 国会大厦地窖内,被成桶成桶的炸药包围着的盖伊? 福克斯。他们的阴谋被挫败了。 在严刑拷打下,盖伊? 福克斯招供了一切。于是,阴谋反叛的人被团团包围起来,根 据当时的法律以叛国贼论处,被判处绞刑并剖尸裂肢。今天,孩子们都非常喜欢这个 节日。他们自己制作“盖伊”——一个用旧衣服填充做成的假人,再把它放到篝火上 焚烧。最后,当绚丽的焰火燃放起来时,代表多年前的那场爆炸根本没有发生过。