Is the legacy of Guy Fawkes forgotten? 

Has the ‘Eve of The Hallows’ become a more important social celebration? 

Can both historical memorials be celebrated with equal measure within the same week? 

 

Guy Fawkes has a longstanding history in the UK. He was introduced to Robert Catesby, who planned to assassinate King James the first and leave the monarch replaced by a Catholic. Beneath the House of Lords, Fawkes was placed in charge of the gunpowder. However, prompted by an anonymous letter to search Westminster Palace during the early hours of 5 November, the authorities found Fawkes guarding the explosives. He was tortured and eventually confessed to his part of the plot. Fawkes was sentenced to death. He became the face of the Gunpowder Plot, the failure of which has been celebrated in the UK as Guy Fawkes Night since 5 November 1605, commonly accompanied by fireworks. Whereas, Halloween has been around for more than 10 centuries. Rooting from religious ideologies, it has become increasingly important. Today Halloween is considered a holiday for dressing up, particularly for children.  

 

Both celebrations take place within the same school October half term, for children across England. This leaves the question of which is considered more important, and which is celebrated more widely. After a vote, it is decided that only 23% of schoolchildren know what Guy Fawkes is celebrating, and only 46% saw fireworks over their half term. Whereas 100% of children asked knew what Halloween was and 97% celebrated in some way, with the knowledge of the roots in Christianity but without the full background to be able to fully describe the story of where it came from. There is a significant and visible difference with which celebration is being carried through generations, with the potential that Halloween is more widely spread due to the interactive nature of it. Guy Fawkes seems to be lost to time and begs to see how many other global celebrations will soon be lost in the realms of memory also.