Gunpowder And Ghosts

[poliphilo]

I think bonfire night is dying out. There were very few fireworks last night- and they stopped early. I smelled bonfires around tea-time, but I didn't see any.

Two explanations. One is that it's being swamped by Halloween. The other is that our safety-first culture is killing it. I saw a news item a few days back about a police task force in Liverpool that was going round confiscating "illegal" fireworks. They'd collected over a ton. Spoilsports, I thought.

A third possibility is that I've got a skewed view of things from living in a Muslim area.

Living TV had a show in which "acclaimed spirit medium" Derek Acorah investigated sites associated with the Gunpowder Plot, picking up on residual energy and talking to ghosts.  Professor Ron Hutton, historian of Wicca, was scoring his performance. Very impressive it was too, which points- I suppose- to his having done his research- which wasn't always the case on Most Haunted.  It sounds absurd, but this was actually quite a neat little history lesson- and I learned things I hadn't known before. When Acorah enacted the last moments of the gang's leader Robert Catesby-  who died clutching an image of the Virgin after charging a line of musketeers-  it was curiously moving.  Terrorists may be wicked in all manner of ways, but don't try telling me they aren't brave.

Comments

[dakegra.livejournal.com]

our neighbour put it down to the recession - less money to splash around on things that go whizz and bang. Certainly fewer fireworks around last night in our area, though that had the advantage of letting LB get off to sleep at a reasonable hour. Poor little scrap *hates* the loud bangs and spent much of the evening cuddled up to me.

[ideealisme.livejournal.com]

Acorah was outed by Ciaran O'Keeffe from the Most Haunted show as a spectacular bullshitter..but do you believe any of the psychics are the real deal?

[jfs.livejournal.com]

The Guardian put up a map of immigrant communities in London, and where I am in Ilford, the road about 50 yards to the south of me marks a boundary between the largely Hindu and Sikh community to the north, and the largely Muslim community to the south.

For the last couple of years, with Diwali, Eid and Bonfire Night all coming around the same time, November has officially been renamed Pet-Scaring-Month.

(I'd also guess that there will be a lot more fireworks at the weekend.)

[idahoswede.livejournal.com]

I had a fair number of booms and bangs out in Kent last evening, but I understand a major fireworks display and bonfire in the London area was cancelled out of fear of wind blowing the fireworks over the heads of the crowd. I didn't think it was that windy, but who am I to say?

[daisytells.livejournal.com]

Our Fourth of July and Pre-Christmas tree lightings or New Years Eve fireworks are mainly managed by the local governments now. Private ownership of fireworks has been banned in most communities. When I was a kid we had tremendous bonfires on July Fourth - lots of fun - bring your trash, etc. and add to the pile. No more of that - smog and safety regulations, you know. Also when I was a kid even though in Massachusetts private fireworks were against the law, many people still had them and fired them off in backyards. Occasionally now on July Fourth one can see smaller displays of aerials in surrounding areas (still illegal). Halloween also used to have certain aromas associated with it -- candy apples, burning leaves, pumpkin pie, not so much now. We cannot burn leaves any more, instead they go to compost piles (a good thing for the soil).
Wow! What wound me up just now? Nostalgia, I guess. I can smell in my imagination the scent of burning leaves...

[sovay]

The other is that our safety-first culture is killing it.

Gyah. I hope it recovers. Bonfires and fireworks are very autumnal things.

[richenda.livejournal.com]

A friend was travelling by coach from Chester to Bangor, and there were firework displays all the way - as the coach passed one, she could see the next in the distance.
Another passenger was trying to explain the fireworks to a young German tourist.
"House of Commons", she said.
"Cellar", she said.
Oh dear!

[jackiejj.livejournal.com]

I heard this morning at a book club meeting that Voodoo is now an official religion in Haiti.

BTW.

[qatsi.livejournal.com]

I wonder whether it falling mid-week isn't another factor here. I suspect there might be more fireworks over the weekend. Certainly that's when I'd expect organised displays to take place.

[brttvns.livejournal.com]

Personally I can't stand bonfire night (though why we use the singular when fireworks go off evenings before and afterwards is beyond me) - my main gripe may seem selfish as the fireworks frighten one of my dogs, not a little but seriously frighten her. The other reason is that I see no need in celebrating the execution of a terrorist for a failed act of terrorism. Now if the gang had succeeded in blowing up their target that may have been something to wave a sparkler at!

As for 'terrorists may be wicked in all manner of ways', we seem very sure about the definition of 'terrorist' these days, but what defines a terrorist from a rebel? The brutality of their actions? How many 'rebels' throughout history went on to be leaders, politicians, yet a majority of those who unsuccessfully rebelled against them are remembered not quite so fondly?

Cheers

Brett