BONFIRE NIGHT

            From Scotland to the Channel Britain is full of customs and traditions. A lot of them have very long histories. Some are funny, some are strange. But they’re all interesting and are all part of the British way of life.

            I am going to tell you about the holiday called Bonfire Night or Guy Fawkes Day.

            It all started, when Queen Elizabeth 1st took the throne of England, she made some laws against the Roman Catholics. Guy Fawkes was one of a small group of Catholics who felt that the government was treating Roman Catholics unfairly. They had hoped that the next King, James 1st, would change the laws but he didn’t. A group of men, led by Robert Gatesby, plotted to kill King James. Guy Fawkes was one of the group. They made a conspiracy to blow up the English Parliament and King James 1st on November 5, 1605. It was the day set for the king to open Parliament.

             Before that, a man bought a house next door to the parlia­ment building. The house had a cellar which went under the parliament building. They planned to put gunpowder under the house and blow up parliament and the king.

             Guy Fawkes was given the job to keep watch over the bar­rels of gunpowder and to light the fuse, but he was discovered before he could blow up parliament. Guy Fawkes was put in prison and tortured until he told them the names of all the people involved in the Gunpowder Plot.

             Every year on 5th November, the Day of the Gunpowder Plot or Guy Fawkes Day is celebrated. Throughout England, towns and villages light huge bonfires, let off magnificent fire­works, burn an effigy of Guy Fawkes and celebrate the fact the Parliament and James I were not blown by Guy Fawkes.

              As well as burning effigy of Guy Fawkes, the bonfires are used to cook potatoes wrapped in foil, they call it jacket pota­toes. In main town and cities, torch-lit processions are also popular on this night too.

             During the days before Bonfire Night, children used to take their home-made guys out on the street and ask for «a penny for the Guy» for fireworks.

QUESTIONS:

What is another name for Bonfire Night holiday?

What was Guy Fawkes?

Who was the leader of that people who wanted to blow up the Parliament and the King?

When did that affair take place?

What was Guy Fawkes’ job that night?

What happened to Guy Fawkes when he was caught?

VOCABLUARY:

funny — веселый, забавный

Bonfire Night — Ночь костра

to take (past took, p.p. taken) - брать, взять

the throne — взойти на трон

to treat — обращаться

to lead (past led, p.p. led) — возглавлять, быть предводи­телем

to plot — готовить заговор

conspiracy — тайный заговор

to blow up (past blew, p.p. blown) — взорвать, взрывать

to buy (past bought, p.p. bought) — покупать, купить

cellar — подвал

gunpowder — порох

barrel — бочка

fuse — фитиль, бикфордов шнур, запал

to put (past put, p.p. put) in prison — бросить в тюрьму

to torture — пытать, мучить

to involve — вовлекать, вмешивать

Gunpowder Plot — пороховой заговор

to let (past let, p.p. let) off — запускать

fireworks — фейерверки

effigy — изображение

to wrap in — заворачивать в