Lewes Bonfire

[mistahclarke]

You could try staying at home .

will next time, so I don't have to hear people say "oh look it's a stork in it's pyjamas." when Gully went past

 

[Trigger]

Brilliant night, Commercial Square absolutely rocked.

 

[jimhigham]

Love Lewes Bonfire. The family all used to watch from a flat looking down over Cliffe High Street. Sadly we have no family there these days and have all drifted away to where the work took us. Sod it! Got to get a hotel booked and come down next year. Definitely time my daughter saw what all the fuss is about.

 

[Guy Fawkes]

Ha utter bollocks some of the posts on here. I've gotten into Lewes at 7.30ish last year from newhaven and I don't really see why some of the residents of Lewes have to be so negative about 'foreigners' coming in.

Its not about where people are from but just that Lewes is a small town where most of the roads were set out in medieval times so they are very narrow and therefore incapable of holding a large number of spectators safely.

If they were to say all are welcome or even to advertise the event in an attempt to get more spectators, there just wouldn't be the room. The easiest way to limit numbers is to not have extra trains, prevent people coming by car by closing roads (besides, where could they park that wasn't in the way of the processional routes?) etc...

If Lewes was capable of holding large numbers of spectators, then all would be welcome but sadly it isn't the case.

 

[Guy Fawkes]

While not the cheapest at least the money as the cricket ground goes to help local charities

There is a lot of money raised in Lewes by the different bonfire societies on the night and the cash raised is normally split between local charities (street collections & collections at fire sites)

 

[Guy Fawkes]

I'm afraid I have to disagree - its a very generic person wearing a papal outfit. You might see it as a representation of Pope Clement or whoever was around at the time (although I am not sure what he had to do with the gunpowder plot), but there are plenty involved who see it as a representation of Catholicism in general. When I was a child I also recall Cliffe bonfire burning an effigy of the actual Catholic priest in Lewes at the time in a row over something he said. And when you throw in the crosses for the martyrs thing (no mention of the Catholics killed under Henry or Elizabeth), the whole thing clearly has an underlying religious element.

As for the "lest we forget" element - aside from the historical debates about the legitimacy of the threat the GP really posed, we are talking about one failed terrorist attack from 400 years ago from a Catholicism barely recognisable from today against a government a million miles from today's, hardly an event that shaped the world we live in.

For what its worth I know loads of people who have been involved in Lewes Bonfire who (like most I'd imagine) do it out of local tradition and for the social element and have never had a bigoted thought in their life or strong religious point of view, but the event itself still has a very "us vs the nasty Catholics" element about it from my viewpoint.

Bonfire in Sussex has nothing to do with being an anti-Catholic event, in fact there are quite a few Catholics who participate each year. The no Popery element refers to the Pope at the time of the plot (Pope Paul V) and has nothing to do with any Popes before or after his reign.

The plot was about which religion would have their king ruling the country at the time. The King at the time of the plot was a protestant (King James I) and it was planned to kill him and his Government and to install a Catholic king in his place. (During this era of English history the throne was constantly changing between Protestant and Catholic monarchs) Had the plot succeeded, there is a high probability that the Spanish would have invaded during the resultant confusion to fill the power vacuum so yes, the failure was of massive importance to our history and not some insignificant non-event.

The celebrations in Lewes are not about religion but the failure of a plot to destroy the Government and King of the time. They lost any religious meaning a long time ago, its like Christmas, how many out there celebrate at Christmas but are not Catholic and don't believe in God or Jesus? For a lot of people Christmas has evoled into a time for friends and family to gather together and for children to get presents (in return for behaving for the previous year) - Does it mean that those who hold events at Christmas time are doing so purely for religious reasons in the same way as bonfire celebrations are supposed to be?

Every year the Cliffe burn the Enemies of Bonfire who range from nationally reviled figures to local officials who have attempted to place restrictions on the event. The Catholic priest who was burned by the Cliffe Bonfire society was burned as one of the enemies of bonfire fell into this group for his attempts to get bonfire banned after he failed to realise / understand that they are not about religion and are not anti-Catholic as he interpreted them when he arrived in this parrish, he took it as a modern day protest against the church and religious hatred which it is not.

 

[Pretty pink fairy]

Bonfire in Sussex has nothing to do with being an anti-Catholic event, in fact there are quite a few Catholics who participate each year. The no Popery element refers to the Pope at the time of the plot (Pope Paul V) and has nothing to do with any Popes before or after his reign.

The plot was about which religion would have their king ruling the country at the time. The King at the time of the plot was a protestant (King James I) and it was planned to kill him and his Government and to install a Catholic king in his place. (During this era of English history the throne was constantly changing between Protestant and Catholic monarchs) Had the plot succeeded, there is a high probability that the Spanish would have invaded during the resultant confusion to fill the power vacuum so yes, the failure was of massive importance to our history and not some insignificant non-event.

The celebrations in Lewes are not about religion but the failure of a plot to destroy the Government and King of the time. They lost any religious meaning a long time ago, its like Christmas, how many out there celebrate at Christmas but are not Catholic and don't believe in God or Jesus? For a lot of people Christmas has evoled into a time for friends and family to gather together and for children to get presents (in return for behaving for the previous year) - Does it mean that those who hold events at Christmas time are doing so purely for religious reasons in the same way as bonfire celebrations are supposed to be?

Every year the Cliffe burn the Enemies of Bonfire who range from nationally reviled figures to local officials who have attempted to place restrictions on the event. The Catholic priest who was burned by the Cliffe Bonfire society was burned as one of the enemies of bonfire fell into this group for his attempts to get bonfire banned after he failed to realise / understand that they are not about religion and are not anti-Catholic as he interpreted them when he arrived in this parrish, he took it as a modern day protest against the church and religious hatred which it is not.

what a load of tosh, Pope gets abused every year at Lewes, i'm not a catholic by the way but i've seen it first hand at the cliffe.

 

[jevs]

Can i just say that the Catholic church at the top of town has a banner out every year with the brilliant tongue in cheek slogan "know popery"

 

[Lord Bracknell]

As someone who was brought up knowing the words of Faith of Our Fathers, I have no problem understanding (and joining in) chants about a Penny Loaf.

 

[Conkers]

 

[Dandyman]

"Pack up your troubles"