"Remember, remember, the Fifth of November
Gunpowder treason and plot
I see no reason why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot"
The fifth of November in the UK is a day of festivities and celebration dating back to the 17th century. On November fifth, 1605 Guy Fawkes was discovered guarding a load of powder that was to be used to blow up the British Parliament. Today that celebration is marked in a rather surprising manner, Bonfire Night. On bonfire night citizens across the UK celebrate the failure of the gunpowder plot by burning scarecrow effigies of Guy Fawkes and shooting off fireworks.
Edinburgh, being a city, wasn't host to a large number of bonfires as far as I could gather but it sure did enjoy its fireworks. The largest show in Edinburgh was hosted at the Meadowbanks Sports center while other localities hosted smaller shows and individuals ran around lighting off rockets wherever they saw fit.
To take in this spectacle I participated in a common ritual, avoiding the fees of the Meadowbanks Show by finding a vantage point above it. To do so I climbed the Salisbury Crag. Many others also climbed to get a good vantage point with some opting to go all the way to the top of Arthur seat. Personally I felt that Arthur's seat was too distant from the action and that the Crag would get in the way so I opted for the shorter crag.
The nigh was beautiful and clear, with no difficulty at all one could see all the way across the Firth of Forth to Fife and the towns dotting the coast with their twinkling lights. In any direction I looked fireworks were visible from time to time, nothing consisting of a full out show and yet they were beautiful all the same. I do not know the fireworks laws in Edinburgh but some shot up from locals which appeared to be questionably legal such as parking lots and The Royal mile.
The main show at the Meadowbanks lasted for half an hour, from 19:30 until 20:00. The theme this year was science fiction and music occasionally drifted up to us but the only clear recognizable song was the Dr. Who intro theme. The fireworks were beautiful, and they used varieties different from the ones shot off by the small towns in Wisconsin where I spend my summers. Notably most had quieter reports and relied more on detail than pure explosive power. In addition, the British appear to be very adverse to "screamers" and most of their fireworks are considerably quieter than comparable ones in the US.
On my walk back through the Meadows I saw one of the many roving bands setting off fireworks and something about them struck me as off. Sure enough, the second missile launched as I walked by climbed to about 25 feet and then suddenly reversed, rocketing itself downwards prompting an expletive from me. It hit the ground hard and the crowd around it scattered hurriedly as it went off in their midst. Fortunately it did not detonate the other fireworks sitting next to where it landed and I didn't hear any cries like someone had been injured. That said, I assumed the crowd was large enough to help anyone who had be and I scurried off before they could try to blow themselves up again.
Altogether it was a wonderful night and despite the slightly strange occasion that Guy Fawkes Night/Bonfire Night seems to be I am very glad to have witnessed it. To anyone visiting Edinburgh next fall I would highly recommend they make sure the are in town on the fifth and experience this wonderful cultural event.