In the small town of Lewes, Sussex, home to the largest bonfire celebration in England, we spent a day with a medieval taste, a day to remember... the 5th of November.
Lewes hosts the largest bonfire celebration in the world and the most authentic in the UK, so for a town as quiet as Lewes, the celebrations are unbelievably vigurous. So everyone, either dresses up to be part of the procession or heads down to watch them. and the costumes are not just random, they are society specific.
everyone is heading to the procession site to either perform or watch
people of all ages take part in the event, so the traditions are passed on from one generation to the other
they also prepare for a long and cold night by having a traditional english fish and chips meal. a father and daughter dressed in a typical Lewis Borough Costume with the blue and white jumpers.
people gather by bars (Arms) for some drinks before the start of the processions.
people gather by bars (Arms) for some drinks before the start of the processions.
Let the fun begin!!!!
Cliffs bonfire society sign, since they burn the effigy of the pope
the extent of safety and security measures was quiet impressive
the first procession, Southover Bonfire Society
One of the spectators
a trip into the past
as crowds kept on increasing, the police asked the audience to refrain from using the bridge for 15 minutes for safety reason to avoid overcrowding.
so they either grabbed a drink
.....or just waited
and then the Cliffe's procession started, the fiercest of them all
everyone takes a part in the Cliffe's procession... the young
and the elderly
A guillotine and a beheaded Guy Fawkes
Donations, you have to go with lots of cash for them.
The Cliffe's Guy Fawkes Effigy
The Waterloos
And i found Waldo!!!
Another Guy Fawkes Effigy
And Guess Who they're burning too!!!??
So now after the processions have ended, people take a break before heading to the different Bonfire sites across the town
and a bit of a social gathering
reserving a spot in the bonfire sites before thousands begin to rush in
The light of the Bonfire and the fireworks light up the skies of Lewes
And now the hardest part of the day, managing a ride back home!!! good luck with that...
The tradition of Guy Fawkes-related bonfires actually began the very same year as the failed coup. The Plot was foiled in the night between the 4th and 5th of November 1605. Already on the 5th, agitated Londoners who knew little more than that their King had been saved, joyfully lit bonfires in thanksgiving. As years progressed, however, the ritual became more elaborate.
Soon, people began placing effigies onto bonfires, and fireworks were added to the celebrations. Effigies of Guy Fawkes, and sometimes those of the Pope, graced the pyres.
Lewes is home to the largest and most celebrated of the festivities in the Sussex bonfire tradition. There are seven societies putting on five separate parades and firework displays on the 5th, and this can mean 3,000 people taking part in the celebrations, and up to 80,000 spectators attending in the small market town with a permanent population of just under 16,000
