Bonfire Night

This article is about traditions of bonfire celebrations. For other uses, see Bonfire Night (disambiguation).
A Christmas Eve celebration bonfire in Louisiana, United States

Bonfire Night is a name given to various annual events characterised by bonfires and fireworks.[1] The event celebrates different traditions on different dates, depending on the country. Some of the most popular instances include Guy Fawkes Night (5 November) in Great Britain, which is also celebrated in some Commonwealth countries; Northern Ireland's Eleventh Night (11 July), and 5 November in Newfoundland and Labrador. In various parts of Ireland, Bonfire Nights are held on Saint John's Eve (23 June),[2] Bealtaine eve (30 April)[3] and Halloween (31 October). Due to the Thanksgiving Act, up until 1859 celebration of Guy Fawkes Night in the UK was legally mandated, which evolved into the Bonfire Night of today.

In Scandinavia and Germany it is known as Walpurgis Night or ″Tanz in den Mai″ (30 April) and in Denmark and Norway also sankthansaften (23 June). In Finland bonfires are lit on the eve of Juhannus (Friday between 19 and 25 June). Saint John's Eve is also a very important celebration in Spain and Northern Portugal. Several other cultures also include night-time celebrations involving bonfires and/or fireworks.

Bonfire Night is also celebrated in Northern Ireland on 15 August in Catholic communities to mark the Feast of the Assumption.[4]

  1. ^ Rawlinson, Kevin (5 November 2010), "Guy Fawkes vs Diwali: Battle of Bonfire Night", independent.co.uk, retrieved 22 March 2011
  2. ^ "15,000 to attend family friendly bonfires tonight". Irishexaminer.com. 23 June 2017. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  3. ^ Raleigh, David. "Two firefighters injured by mobs while extinguishing May Eve bonfires". The Irish Times. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
  4. ^ Santino, J. (2016). Signs of War and Peace: Social Conflict and the Uses of Symbols in Public in Northern Ireland. Springer. ISBN 978-1-4039-8233-9.