In 1605, a man by the name of Guy Fawkes and a band of fellow conspirators attempted to blow up the English Parliament and King James I. This act was intended to be the great uprising of English Catholics who were upset by the severity of penal laws against the practice of their religion.

Unfortunately for the conspirators, their numbers had increased so much that keeping the plan a secret became impossible. The plot, planned for almost two years, was exposed by more than one leak and the conspirators, having been found out, were arrested at the cellar, overtaken whilst fleeing the scene or seized sometime afterwards. They were either killed outright, imprisoned or later executed.

Even worse, the failed plot only worsened the situation for English Catholics, resulting in an increase in the harshness of the laws against them.

So now, some 400 years later, New Zealanders celebrate the failure of the Gunpowder Plot on November 5th, by letting off fireworks, burning bonfires and burning effigies of Guy Fawkes himself. This year was a particularly busy Guy Fawkes Night in New Zealand with the worst fires in ten years, up 70% on 2004.