Guy Fawkes Night And Other Holidays

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On the heels of Halloween 
is Guy Fawkes Night
{ aka Bonfire Night, Fireworks Night }

Bonfire Night will be observed all weekend
Officially it is on November 5th

In 1605
Guy Fawkes and his Catholic crew attempted to
blow up Parliament and {Protestant} King James I
in the foiled Gunpowder Plot

Bonfire Night celebrates their failure

Seen in York
(photo by me)

November's Fireworks Night

has always been a bit of a head-scratcher for me

It's the only annual event the whole country gets together

to celebrate something British

Think bonfires with effigies, sparklers, fireworks,

games, mulled wine, food

Think general merriment and good fun

Typical Guy Fawkes effigy on Bonfire Night
(photo by me)

There have been so many other Britons who have

contributed much to the UK and the world
other than Guy Fawkes and his crew

In England
there are a few bank holidays called...

wait for it...

'Bank Holiday'

(bankers are pariahs in this country
and not the least bit celebrated)

There is not one but
three annual 'Bank Holidays'

So I propose the renaming of Bank Holidays
- are you with me here? -

Here's a few suggestions I'd like to bring forth...

Classic British Literature Day

celebrating
William Shakespeare, Jane Austin, and Charles Dickens just to name a few

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Too much of a stretch for
Fabulous Fictional Characters Day?

with
Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle,

Peter Pan, Willy Wonka, The Hobbit,
Sherlock Holmes, James Bond, and Harry Potter
coming to mind

Imagine elevating books to become a national holiday!
what an excellent example for kids

Or how about
UK Explorer Day

to recognize the adventures of Charles Darwin, Captain James Cook, 

David Livingstone, and Ernest Shackleton (South Pole explorer)

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Try on
'Really Historical Folks' Day 

to commemorate King Arthur, Florence Nightingale, 

Duke of Wellington (defeated Napoleon to end war)

or Sir Winston Churchill

Of course I like
Happy Homemaker Day
to celebrate
 those charming English toilets with chains & cistern,
the first washing machines (debuted at 1862 London Exhibition),
domestic dishwashers (thanks to Englishman William Howard Livens in 1924)
and Dyson vacuums (he's British too)
to make life a little easier at home
And happier
:)

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I'd also cast my vote for

Let's Jump In The Puddles Day
or

Happy Dance For The Countryside And Gardens Day

:)

How would you rename boring ol' 'Bank Holiday'?

Sources: Wikipedia 1, 2