Home

[Patrick]

Well here's a EuroDisney Vault that is not fully about Disneyland Resort Paris, or has it had anything to do with Disney, but it is an interesting topic to write about and may become interesting to some of the more continental Europeans on this forum, which is basically everyone apart from me and Baloo .  So here's a EuroDisney Vault about the English tradition of Guy Fawkes night since it is now officially 400 years and a month to this very day that Guy Fawkes was captured, hung, drawn and quartered for his traitorous act to try and bring Catholicism back to the English throne.  



"Remember, Remember, the 5th November, Gunpowder, treason and plot.  We see no reason why Gunpowder treason should ever be forgot."  This is an extract from the rhyme known to quite a few English people throughout the ages as to why we even celebrate the 5th November as Bonfire Night.  



The history of this day goes all the way back to even before the time of Fawkes and even James I, back to the time when Queen Elizabeth I was on the throne of England, herself a devout Protestant who had been placed in the Tower of London by her sister Mary I who was a devout catholic, however when Elizabeth came to the throne in England she made sure that Catholics would get what they deserved, making laws against them.  The Catholics of England had hoped that when James I, who was himself a catholic who had just changed religion to the Church of England came to the throne that he would change these laws, however he did not and so goodbye went any hope for Fawkes and the rest of the Catholics in England to get these laws lifted.  Some Catholics made sure that the crown would never forget what a bad move he had made.

This is where our story of Fawkes and his friends begins.  The troop however was not even led by Guy Fawkes, unlike what so many would believe with it being called Guy Fawkes night, the night where traditionally English people would light a bonfire with a figure of a man, this is known as a guy typically due to Fawkes first name on it.  The lead conspirator was a man called Robert Catesby, he plotted to blow up the Houses of Parliament in Westminster in London and with that everyone who was in it would also go up too, therefore trying to lock up the laws against Catholics in England forever.  This plan was made simple that the next meeting in Parliament would include James I who would need to be killed for it to succeed.  So they bought a house next to Parliament and would use the cellar in it that coincidently went under Parliament.  In this cellar they would store the gunpowder.



Due to the conspirators getting a bit frustrated knowing some of the innocent Parliament members, they sent a letter to one Lord Monteagle to stay away from Parliament that day, the letter was passed on to the King and Guy Fawkes was on guard in the cellar with the gunpowder on the morning of November 5th top be able to light the fuse of all the gunpowder, but when the King heard about this he sent soldiers to arrest Guy Fawkes, the gunpowder was never lit and Westminster did not blow up, instead the plotters got what was coming to them.  Fawkes was taken to the Tower of London, tortured and was forced to tell the King who the plotters were, they ended up being found and were all Hung, drawn and quartered.



From that day till today we always celebrate on November 5th the capture of Fawkes by burning gunpowder in fireworks and placing a Guy on a bonfire.  Today even Disneyland Resort Paris join in the celebration with their Bonfire Fireworks spectacular on Lake Disney, this in itself has come and gone each year being an even bigger success as the year before, with fantastic musical scores including land of Hope and Glory and music from Fantasia.  This show began in Disneyland Resort Paris's Lake Disney in 1997 and has tried to show that the resort is more than just French and I believe it shows they can do it since it brings so many people to it every year, plus in 2003 illuminated water was included in the show.



So there you have it the story of Guy Fawkes and why we celebrate Bonfire here in England on 5th November, if you were wondering why I have posted this now well my reason is that I have been interested in these events Disneyland Resort Paris are having lately that are to do with other countries than just France and decided to write about the background to these events in history as well as just their role in Disneyland Resort Paris today.

[Kristof]

Very interesting!  Thank you so much Patrick!  I'm looking forward to more of these Euro Disney Vault's!!!   =D> =D>=D>