At this time of year, I always look forward to the change in
seasons.
As much as I love summertime, I am not sad about saying goodbye to the
longer warmer days.
Instead I like the cold dark nights, bringing out the winter
wardrobe and hearing the crunch of the fallen autumn leaves underfoot. For this
is the time of year that we know that Christmas is just around the corner;
bringing with it, the anticipation for the annual Christmas advertising campaigns
to start on TV, the classic Christmas songs to play on the radio, for Ant &
Dec to bring back ‘I’m a Celebrity Get Me
Outta Here’ and to see if we will have any snow as the temperatures drop.
But to get to that stage, you need to either embrace or
tolerate the days leading up to and shortly after November 5th - Fireworks
Night.
As a kid, I loved Fireworks Night. Friends of the family would
always have a huge party, where the entire neighbourhood would be invited. We
would wave sparklers, roast marshmallows, and as we got older were allowed to
drink and act more grown up! Some great memories were made.
Where I live, I have a great panoramic view of the local sky
line. On Fireworks night and New Year’s Eve, I have the best seat in the house
to watch the displays overhead. But the problem now in my current situation of
being a parent with a baby under the age of two, it is no fun at all.
For my neighbourhood this weekend was like a re-enactment of
The Blitz. It seemed like every property in the immediate vicinity were having
Bonfire Night parties, with fireworks exploding from around 5:30 pm through til
gone midnight.
The noise generated from these modern fireworks is reminiscent
of scenes in documentaries from war-zones. The whistle effect before the huge explosion was like something from a World War Two film. I do not remember the
fireworks from my childhood being anywhere near as ferocious as what I observed
this weekend.
I am not one to complain about the actions of others. I believe
everyone has the right to act the way that they want on their property (within reason) in
accordance with the laws of the land. The problem I had was trying to keep my
baby boy calm enough to settle down and go to sleep, with the explosions outside our
windows. And I am sure I was not alone in feeling this frustration.
So much so, that at the time of writing, over 119,000 people
have signed an official petition to ban the sale of fireworks to members of the
public, and only approve organised displays.
I believe this petition has been set up and signed by so
many, not only for the inconvenience it causes to young children, but also the traumatic
effect it has on pets& animals, the fact that people let the fireworks off
at unregulated times of the day or night, and how unorganised displays can lead
to accidents including burns and fire, or induce PTSD in people who have suffered
from conflicts.
Throughout the country, there are a huge number of organised displays, usually with a small entry fee, which people and families can attend, to enjoy that night of the year. Without argument, this is a far safer way to enjoy the spectacle in the night sky.
Fireworks night aka Bonfire Night, aka Guy Fawkes Night has
been going for hundreds of years, since 1605, where the King allowed the public
to celebrate his survival with bonfires, after a plot to assassinate him and
blow up the House of Lords. Over the centuries since, local children would collect
and burn an effigy of Guy Fawkes (the man caught with the explosives under the
House of Lords), and people would come together to let off the fireworks.
I
wonder of all of the people who decided to host a firework party this passed weekend,
how many remember the reason for that event, or whether it is just something fun to
do at this time of the year, before the lead up to Christmas kicks in.
