Hawick Bonfire Night 2022

Every year in Hawick, on November 5, we come together to celebrate Bonfire Night, all over the county of Scottish Borders we gather around the bonfire.

What should you know about Hawick's bonfire night?

The Bonfire Night is one of those incredible festivities and celebrations that have been adopted as an annual event over the years.

Why do people like these celebrations so much?

You can get up to speed with the reasons behind the popularity of the Bonfire Night in a few minutes.

What is the Bonfire Night connected to?

The main reason why Guy Fawkes failed in his attempt to assassinate King James I is that it is a way to celebrate the failure.

This happened in 1605 and people have been celebrating bonfires ever since.

There was a lot of anger towards the king due to the fact that he was against Catholics.

Robert Catesby and Guy Fawkes were Catholics who believed in an armed struggle to bring back Catholicism to its rightful place.

The two supporters came up with a plan to blow up the Palace of Westminster.

The king was in attendance and the plan was to assassinate him.

A conspiracy member sent a letter to the parliament, but got cold feet.

The other conspirators were taken into custody after they learned about the plan.

The Parliament made a statement regarding the situation and shared that the conspirators were caught and punished.

The Parliament decided to light up bonfires on the 5th of November in order to be thankful for.

We ended up at the Bonfire Night.

Throughout the UK, there are Bonfire Night activities.

Despite the fact that Bonfire Night's origins are sinister, it has become a community event over the years.

The celebration was renamed to Fireworks Night at the beginning of the 20th century due to the fact that the focus was on having fun.

The event of the 20th century was more similar to what we are experiencing today.

Traditions related to the Bonfire Night.

People use flaming torches, fireworks and sparklers when they parade in costumes.

This is a clear nod to the failure of Guy Fawkes and his band as they tried to blow up the Parliament as a celebration of independence, but in a safe manner.

There is a firework display and a large bonfire at most of the time.

What are you going to wear for the events?

Depending on where you live, people tend to dress up in various costumes on Bonfire Night.

This is in preparation for the events, and it’s quite an interesting approach.

The Bonfire Night is a great opportunity for people to show off their winter clothes.

Something to keep in mind is that a winter knit is usually the right way to go here.

A proper outfit that protects you from the cold weather is more than welcome, even if you don't have to dress up.

Which foods are popular during Bonfire Night celebrations?

As we mentioned earlier, the Bonfire Night events are not only a celebration with bonfires and fireworks.

There are many things associated with this event.

The jacket potato, parkin, black peas, treacle toffee, and the toffee apples are all associated with Bonfire Night.

These are eaten all over the country, and some regions have their own special meals that they prepare around the 5th of November.

Some families eat soups too and share them with friends or family members.

There are attractions for Bonfire Night.

There are a lot of great attractions and events in the UK.

In the countryside, you mostly have large bonfires and local events, food and drinks shared with the community.

It has become a community-focused event where everyone has a great time and they enjoy the presence of other like minded people.

You will get to enjoy some great firework displays with some regions going out of their way to use incredible fireworks for a night to remember.

Common traditions are here:

• There are firework displays all over the country with the biggest cities getting some of the largest displays. But in general you are bound to find bonfires and incredible firework displays all over the country, even in rural areas.
• There's a tradition to carry flaming tar barrels on the shoulders. Again, this is a nod to the plans that Guy Fawkes and his team had in order to blow up the Parliament building.
• It is very common for people in the UK to make an effigy of a man and burn it. The effigy is stuffed with old clothes and made out of straw or paper, which is supposed to represent Guy Fawkes.
• There is a tradition called "Penny for the Guy". Kids used to take homemade Guy effigies on the street in the days leading up to Bonfire Night to ask for money for fireworks. In some parts of the world, you can find kids that blackened their faces, a testament to what Guy Fawkes did when he was preparing to blow up the Parliament.
• The bonfires are used to cook all kinds of food, even if they are not meant to be a symbol of the failed complot. People heat up soup for the crowds that come by to see the fireworks. It is possible to cook potatoes wrapped in a foil with marshmallows or sausages. The parking cake is a traditional cake that people eat on the eve of Bonfire Night. The cake has syrup, ginger, oatmeal and treacle, and it is very tasty.

Summing up

Every year, Bonfire Night continues to become a staple event.

It is a great time for people to get together, celebrate and enjoy some great food.

Over the years, it has been one of those events that has impressed people.

Even if the origins of this event are a bit darker, there is no denying that it has become a more community-friendly event over the years.

We can expect this event to continue for years and years to come, because happiness and a good time are the most important parts of Bonfire Night.

Hawick Bonfire Night Event

Date: 5th November 2022

Start Time: 6pm

Finish Time: 11pm

Address: Hawick, Scottish Borders, Alba / Scotland, TD9 9EG, United Kingdom

Organiser: Hawick Bonfire Night