Europe, Photography

Slice of Life: Guy Fawkes Day

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Enter the absurd:

We were invited to a party for Guy Fawkes Day and found ourselves hanging out in a yurt on top of a building in east London with a rockin’ party around us.

We huddled together for warmth under a heater on the rooftop as our breath hung in the air.

“Now it feels like winter. It isn’t winter without Guy Fawkes Day.” said our friend Kate. We found ourselves hanging out and staying with them again in London. It wasn’t enough to take Spanish classes with them in Guatemala, or celebrate Halloween in Bocas del Toro as toilet paper mummies. We needed to hang out on their own turf.

So a little understanding about the celebrations:

Many Americans (such as Shaun and I) are incredibly confused about the whole debacle. Since we’ve been educated, we figured we would pass on the information.

They do not celebrate Guy Fawkes. They celebrate the demise of him. They burn an effigy of him to punish him for trying to blow up Parliament. This is not V for Vendetta. This has nothing to do with Anonymous. “Remember, remember, the 5th of November” is to show solidarity of his failed plot and assassination of King James.

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…celebrated with a crap ton of fireworks and bonfires (also known as Bonfire Night).

But we found ourselves freezing our as*ses off on the top of the roof and I couldn’t imagine a more perfect place. The music was perfect. The mood was perfect. Our BYOB was perfect.

The vibe of the party was so incredibly atmospheric – I felt like I belonged in London. I felt as though I was part of the cool “in crowd”. I felt part of the community.

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It was awesome.

And from this inspiration comes one of my favorite sets. There is nothing overly special about them but it captures the party so perfectly. I couldn’t have asked for more.

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20 thoughts on “Slice of Life: Guy Fawkes Day”

  1. Beautiful photos. I’m eager to celebrate in England. I’ve seen the action in Wellington, NZ, but there’s no better place to be for Guy Fawkes than where it actually took place, London.

  2. I love Guy Fawkes night: the mulled wine, fireworks, bonfires, toffee apples, bangers and mash-happy days!

  3. Yurts, bonfires….craziness….sounds perfect, haha! Good to know what the whole purpose of Guy Fawkes day is all about too….never really knew!

  4. It is good to see you enjoyed Guy Fawkes Day. It is a day that I also enjoy. Sadly, I think it is losing out to Halloween. Children in the UK would rather go trick and treating than stand out in the cold holding a sparkler.

  5. Well, I have to admit that Halloween is my #1 favorite holiday so I kinda understand their glee. But, I love to set things on fire too so I can’t imagine it going too far.

  6. I was there for Guy Fawkes day in 2011 but totally didn’t know what it was and missed most of the celebrations! I would love to be there and celebrate it someday 🙂

  7. I am now missing my Friends , Both of you had awesome moments in such rocking party.. Thanks for sharing the pics of it!

  8. Wow, looks like the kind of night you are nostalgic for before it’s even over! This is why I love visiting locals!

  9. So many smokers! You would never see that in Canada.

    I celebrated Guy Fawkes with some friends in Brixton, we went to a park and watched the fireworks, really nice time.

  10. Exactly! I know this memory is going to stay with me a while. This is one reason I love our blog – I’m going to have the best memoir ever when I’m older!

  11. I know! Not as bad as Italy though lol! We were invited to head out to Brixton as well but decided that the rooftop party was more our pace (since it had a limit on people). 🙂

  12. Looks like it was a really fun night! I haven’t celebrated Guy Fawkes Day since I lived in England when I was little, so my memories are fuzzy,b ut I do remember being so excited about all the fireworks.

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