 |
November |
|
November |
All Saints’ Day All Saints’ Day, or All Souls’ Day, is the day on which Roman Catholics, Anglicans and Lutherans thank God for all holy people. The first All Saints' Day occurred on May 13, 609, when Pope Boniface IV accepted the Pantheon as a gift from the Emperor Phocas. Boniface dedicated it as the Church of Santa Maria Rotonda in honour of the Virgin Mary and all martyrs. During Pope Gregory III's reign (731-741), the festival was expanded to include all saints and a chapel in St. Peter's church was dedicated accordingly. Pope Gregory IV officially designated the day in 837. Bonfire Night “Remember, remember the fifth of November, With gunpowder, treason and plot. I see no reason why gunpowder treason Should ever be forgot.” This is the night when people in the UK remember Guy Fawkes, who attempted to blow up the Houses of Parliament in 1604. Guy Fawkes, whose real name was Guido Fawkes, returned to England after military duty in the Netherlands on April 25th 1604. In May 1604 he joined the Gunpowder Plot with Robert Catesby at The Duck and Drake Inn, with the express intention of destroying the Palace of Westminster, the Houses of Parliament and King James I. Fawkes was captured at around midnight on November 4th and was brought before the Privy Council on November 5th. On November 7th, after several sessions of torture and under great duress, Fawkes finally admitted that the conspirators had planned to free Sir Walter Raleigh and other Tower of London Prisoners by blowing up Parliament with a large cache of Gunpowder. Fawkes revealed the identity of his co-conspirators under extreme torture on November 9th, but only after he was told that some had already been arrested by the authorities. He was finally executed on January 31, 1606. In 1605, on the anniversary of the Gunpowder Plot being foiled, bonfires were lit to burn effigies of Guy Fawkes and fireworks were let off in defiant celebration all over London. Within a couple of years this was a national celebration. To this day Guy Fawkes is remembered each year on November 5 for his daring attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament. Advent Sunday The Christian year starts on this day – the first Sunday in Advent, and the fourth Sunday before Christmas Day. It is a period of spiritual preparation before Christmas. It is traditional for children to hang up advent calendars and open one door each day until December 24th, Christmas Eve.
Created with Web Album Generator
