Guy Fawkes (a ? for my British cousins...)

[Pain_Man]

Is Guy Fawkes Day still celebrated by burning ol' Guy in effigy? Is it an "official" holiday?

 

The reason I ask...

 

Saw V for Vendetta tonite.

 

Was very, very impressed. Reading some reviews on rottentomatoes.com I didn't read a single one who noted the very obvious--imho--influence of Pink Floyd's The Wall on the scenes where John Hurt's character is Hitlerizing and a certain crowd scene toward the end.

[blutach]

No, "cracker night" is not a public holiday - at least in this part of the Commonwealth (we have one for a horse race, however). In fact, due to injuries suffered over a prolonged period, it is now illegal for private citizen to discharge firecrackers in Australia.

 

As long as I've been alive, there was no national holiday.

 

Regards

[cornholio7]

November the 5th is guy fawkes night in the UK , not a holiday as such but the same ritual every year. i used to call it fireworks night

[volvofl10]

In fact, due to injuries suffered over a prolonged period, it is now illegal for private citizen to discharge firecrackers in Australia.

what a great idea, if only it was the same here.

we have a major problem with the asian community , who have religious festivals all year round, and they let the damn things off any time of day or night.

there is apparently a law that dictates you cant let fireworks off after 10 or 11pm, but no one takes a blind bit of notice of it

 

November the 5th is guy fawkes night in the UK , not a holiday as such but the same ritual every year. i used to call it fireworks night

also known as bonfire night , sadly we dont get a holiday for it though .

 

as for Guy Fawkes , i bet none of todays kids know what the actual meaning of the 5th Nov is about anymore.

theres several large events take plac eon the night, and if the 5th is midweek, you are gauranteed to have "war zones" taking place on the fri/sat before and after the 5th.

personal opinion is it should go like Oz has, and only have big displays at organised events, mainly for safety reasons.

another majoir headache, is that lots of vacant shops suddenly open from sept till xmas selling fireworks, which means you get the local kids letting the damn things off for 3 months .little bastards .

 

If only guy Fawkes hadent lit his ciggarette until he had left the tunnel leading from the houses of parliament , may be Nov 5th would be just another ordinary day/night

[kevdriver]

Over here in Canada, we have fireworks only on July 1, Canada Day. We do have an yearly pyrotechnics competition that runs for 2 weeks and the fireworks are unreal. Many countrys send over there best to compete. Computer run fireworks to different musical themes its really awesome.

 

 

 

We can purchase fireworks here any time ( 18 or older ), in Ontario anyways. Don't hear of many accidents with them though as no one really seems to bother buying them except for July 1 celebrations.

[volvofl10]

i'd love to go ino a fireworks shop, ask for the biggest chinese bomb they have ( you know the 1 foot diameter one) and let the fooker off and throw it into the stock room

[lfcrule1972]

We tend to have a firework party at our house or round a friends (we take it in turn) and then also go to one of the larger displays..... I haven't burnt old Guy Fawkes for years but when we were kids we used to every year on a bonfire at the bottom of the garden.....

[blutach]

Yeah, I'm not so sure holidays should be given for blowing up the House (although with today's politicians, who knows what might be done in the future)

 

Regards

[dbminter]

Guy Fawkes Day took on an entirely new meaning once The Sun accidentally typoed it as Gay Fuwkes day.

[Pain_Man]

Thanks for all the answers.

 

Fireworks are regulated by state here.

 

In California, due to the danger of brush & forest fires, they are completely illegal. Only those little "popper" things that shoot out confetti--with the tiniest charge in the bottom-- are legal.

 

When I lived in Indiana, they were legal sell, legal to buy, legal to possess but illegal[/i] to set off!

 

(If you think that's goofy, Cali used to have a law where you had to be 18 to buy cigarettes but 16 & 17 yrs olds could possess them. Also, my first year of high school, 10th grade* we had a smoking section--*have no idea what that corresponds to in our various fraternal countries, but it's the 11th year of public education and the last one required in the US. Until one of those officious little girls that run for ASB [student Council, etc] got it banned the next year.)

 

Here in Nevada, certain types are legal. The places one can set them off are restricted. For brush fire reasons, ya can't set 'em off in the desert.

 

i bet none of todays kids know what the actual meaning of the 5th Nov is about anymore.

Our schools are doing such a wonderful job that 17% of high school seniors can't find this country on a map. Fortunately, my daughter's going to a very good school. Homework in kindergarten. I didn't see homework until fifth grade.

 

No, "cracker night" is not a public holiday - at least in this part of the Commonwealth (we have one for a horse race, however). In fact, due to injuries suffered over a prolonged period, it is now illegal for private citizen to discharge firecrackers in Australia.

 

As long as I've been alive, there was no national holiday.

 

Regards

[spinningwheel]

Ohio is the largest fireworks manufacturing State in the Union. You have to be 18 to buy and have to sign a form that states you will take them out of state within 48 hours from time of purchase. You couldn't tell it by the rednecks in my neighborhood, on the 4th of July, Independence Day, they set off so much shit that it's just not worth going out to the commercial displays since the area is one big display...then I have to clean the used fireworks stuff out of my pool and yard on the 5th.....

[Pain_Man]

Did you actually bust people for having fireworks beyond the 48 hr period?

 

That's almost as dumb as Indiana's law. Buy 'em, sell 'em, don't use 'em.

 

One Fourth, when I was living in the Hoosier State, kicking back at a friends house for the usual stuff--beers, bar-b-que, etc. Time came to fire off the fireworks. Roman candles. Sparklers, you name it.

 

My friends would set them off in the middle of the quiet, up-scale residential neighborhood's street in front of the house. Everytime we saw headlight's coming, it was, "Quick, back in the garage!"

 

 

Ohio is the largest fireworks manufacturing State in the Union. You have to be 18 to buy and have to sign a form that states you will take them out of state within 48 hours from time of purchase. You couldn't tell it by the rednecks in my neighborhood, on the 4th of July, Independence Day, they set off so much shit that it's just not worth going out to the commercial displays since the area is one big display...then I have to clean the used fireworks stuff out of my pool and yard on the 5th.....

[spinningwheel]

Normally they just confiscate them, but...if you turn into an jerk, set a field on fire, burn someones house down or blow someones ass off....away you go....

[aghostofmyself]

I'm here in Nevada and each year we normally drive 2 hours to Bridgeport Ca. because you CAN legally set off fireworks there on the fourth during certain hours. This year due to fires they cancelled personal fireworks.

 

Now I am frantically trying to find somewhere within 2-3 hours of Reno Nevada that allows us to set off our own.....PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!

 

I know that some Indian Reservations do/have allowed fireworks but am not sure if there are any left that still do or if the fire restrictions apply to them as well.

Edited July 1, 2007 by aghostofmyself

[cathater]

in michigan, if it moves or makes noise its illegal. (sparklers are a hand held device, hands move)

however they never seem to arrest the venders selling it (in the stores, on street corners,,)

last time we got cought, I don't think they bought the teenagers driving down the street story. Confiscated the pile.

Next day the cops kid was firing them off down the street with his buddys and thanking us for the stuff.

I wont mention where in michigan. The blue brotherhood might find me

[spinningwheel]

Fireworks have been going off in my neighborhood since last weekend...the entire area sounds like a war zone...crazy assed red-necks can't even wait until the 4th to set fire to their grass....

[Grain]

Most fireworks are legal in Canada, with the huge exception of firecrackers of any size. I still have some 20 year old "Black Cats" I smuggled in from Montana. Blew a 100 pack off on the millennium eve, and of course a copper drove right up. Told me to keep them on the road, and off he went, lol. No M1's or any good en's available here, but roman candles, no problem, go figure.

[Grain]

I should add, we Canadians do bugger all for Guy Fawkes day. I knew a little about it from when one time when I was in the UK visiting family, and the local town had their fireworks and burned him up. A bit of a tourist town, so that's probably why they do it. Great movie though, I picked it up on HD-DVD, great pic.

[Altercuno]

WE all go round a mates on bonfire night the weekend after the 5th cos the fireworks are usually on discount. We only take one firework each - the biggest we can afford. Last year one guy was a hero saying his firework cost over

[cathater]

in royal oak, michigan - some dumb broad- shooting off illegal fireworks (3" mortar) put her face over the barrel when it failed to fire------- it fired- she's been removed from the dna pool- doesn't mention a blood alchohal level

 

 

somebody on the news mentioned banning them, that after telling us it was an illegal firework

need to remove them from dna pool also

[blutach]

Sounds like a Darwin Award candidate.

 

Regards