After Queen Elizabeth I died in 1603, English Catholics who had been persecuted under her rule had hoped that her successor, James I, would be more tolerant of their religion. Unfortunately, James did not turn out to be more tolerant than Elizabeth and a number of young men, 13 to be exact, decided that violent action was the answer. A small group of people led by Robert Catesby organized to blow up the House of Parliament and kill the King and the member of Parliament. To carry out their plan, they had 36 barrels of gunpowder and stored them in a cellar, just under the House of Lords. Some of the conspirators started to have second thoughts though, because during the attack, innocent people could have died. One of the group members even wrote an anonymous letter to warn the King. The letter arrived and the King's forces made the plan stop. Guy Fawkes, who was in the cellar of the parliament with the 36 barrels of gunpowder, on the 5th of November 1605, was caught, tortured and executed. On the very night that the Gunpowder Plot was foiled, bonfires were set alight to celebrate the safety of the King. Since then, November 5th has become known as Bonfire Night.
The event is commemorated every year with fireworks and burning effigies of Guy Fawkes on a bonfire. Preparations for Bonfire Night celebrations include making a dummy of Guy Fawkes, which is called "the Guy". Some children even keep up an old tradition of walking in the streets, carrying "the Guy" they have just made, and beg passersby for "a penny for the Guy." The kids use the money to buy fireworks for the evening festivities. On the night itself, Guy is placed on top of the bonfire, which is then set alight.
