Guy Fawkes Celebration: A Night of Fireworks and Bonfires

Happy Friday! 

Hope everyone is doing alright. I’ve heard from friends that it’s been chilly over on the east coast and Wellesley experienced the first snowfall of the season! Cambridge has become colder, but no snow here (yet?)! I’m writing today’s post cozied up, drinking tea on a rainy and cloudy Friday afternoon. 

I wanted to keep today’s post brief: things are going well here. I’ve been doing all the classic Cambridge activities I’ve previously mentioned: coxing, reading, working, running, you get the picture.

Last week, a few friends and I celebrated a tradition unique to the United Kingdom: Guy Fawkes day! Guy Fawkes Day (also known as Guy Fawkes Day, Bonfire Night and Firework Night), is traditionally held every year on November 5th. It commemorates the night that Guy Fawkes (a member of a rebel group) was arrested for placing explosives (aka trying to blow up) Parliament. I learned that to commemorate the fact that the king at the time (King James I) survived the assassination attempt, people lit bonfires – and the tradition continues to present day! 

With that history in mind, we went to go see the fireworks and bonfires at Midsummer Common in Cambridge. The fireworks were spectacular. This past summer, when I was in Boston, I saw the 4th of July fireworks over the Charles River. Those were nice, but the fireworks at Cambridge blew me away. They were magnificent, and so close to us. While we were looking up at them, it also started to drizzle (classic English weather!). The fireworks were followed by the largest bonfire I have ever seen. It was incredible.

I also wanted to share some pictures from my golden hour run this past Monday. The sky was streaked with pink, orange, and blue sunset tones. I ran along the River Cam, passed the Pembroke boat house (saw some cows!) and some beautiful classic Cambridge sites. The photos are below. 

Isn’t it lovely,
Shreya

Skip to toolbar