Happy bonfire night England

by jean-luc picard 12 Replies latest jw friends

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  jean-luc picard

  I love fireworks even now, so imagine how I was when I was a little boy.

  I celebrated bonfire night until I was 7. And then I didn't.

  My parents had become Jehovah's Witnesses, and realized that bonfire night was WRONG.

  I remember, as an 8 year old boy, peering out of my bedroom window, making the most I could from the fireworks display in the neighbours garden.

  But wait a minute. My parents must have known what I was doing. Why didn't they warn me that, even though so young,

  I was risking being destroyed by Jehovah, for envying the neighbours children, enjoying their worldly festivals. What were my parents thinking?

  Maybe they didn't really love me after all?

  What crazy people.

  Enjoy fireworks night, England. I'll be thinking of you.
• 

  outforever

  yes - happy bonfire night - here in South Africa we have guy fox: also when little it was really sad that we had to stay indoors while everyone else had fun - but not anymore (not that I let off firecrackers - but do not have to feel guilty)
• 

  The Searcher

  An annual celebration to celebrate the burning of a foreign Catholic??????? :)

  Why can't people just make their own legitimate & personal/family traditions to celebrate, rather than relying on political/religious/commercial bodies to invent them and make piles of cash from them?

  Problem is, these institutions rely on defined days to maximise the income.
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  Miss Fitt

  When our kids were young, we always tried to make up for the lack of holday celibrations. One year, we bought some fireworks and kept them for 6 months until the middle of the summer. We arranged a congregation party on the beach and, once it got dark, we brought out the fireworks. Everyone loved them, except one super holy elder with young children who was highly offended and, through gritted teeth, hissed at us that his family doesn't celebrate Bonfire Night (which takes place in November!). He grabbed his kids and stormed off. He never allowed his kids to do anything that wasn't 100% rubber-stamped by 'The Society.' I always felt really sorry for his kids.

  Fast forward around 10 years. The same guy's super-spiritual-smarmy pioneer daughter was disfellowshipped for letting off a few 'fireworks' with a couple of the young lads in the congregation. Apparently she had a couple of great techniques for firing off the lad's 'rockets.'
• 

  Simon

  Yeah, we miss bonfire night !

  Nothing quite like the experience of lifting open the lid from a bog box of "standard fireworks" days before the event and imagining how awesome they were going to be! I can remember the smell of the night and watching rockets shoot up or roman candles firing flares into the sky. Slightly terrifying but fantastic all at the same time.

  We never learnt much about the history or the politics of it until much later which I guess is why we could do it? I can't remember it being frowned upon in our cong - but we just had a bonfire and enjoyed fireworks, we didn't have a guy-fawkes effigy ever.

  The documentaries on the gunpowder plot are quite astonishing - there was enough explosive to destroy not only the entire houses of parliment (and the sitting government) but also destroy all the surrounding buildings as well.
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  Splash

  The sun is just setting in the UK.

  I can hear fireworks already!

  Splash
• 

  conflicted89

  Going to my first bonfire night party tonight! We used to have fireworks at Christmas time and conventions were like Christmas with presents and all the family together.

  Have a great night
• 

  FeelingFree

  Me and lurkernomore are going to our first ever firework display with out little one later . Just hope she isn't frightend by the noise!
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  jean-luc picard

  feelingfree: enjoy. wish I was there.

  missfit: love the anecdote.

  simon: we didnt know about the origines either. it was just a super evening for the kids.

  just why do they always have to say " but do you know where it came from?" for every single fun thing you can do?
• 

  Gregor

  My wife and I were in London in November when we were approached several times by young people asking "a penny for the guy?" That night our hotel, The Tower, was lit up by a fireworks display over the Tower Bridge. Is this the "bonfire" night?