Why do we celebrate Bonfire Night in Britain? It is a tradition that has changed little for last 400 years - huge bonfire, with Guy Fawkes being burned on it, previously the person burned was the Catholic pope, fireworks, toffee apples, these days we just miss out the church part. There is even a rhyme that goes with the day:
"Remember, remember the 5th of November,
Gunpowder, treason and plot.
I see no reason why gunpowder treason,
Should ever be forgot."
At the time of the gunpowder plot, there was a lot of disagreements between the Catholics and Protestants, the king at the time was Protestant and the gunpowder plotters were Catholic. The gunpowder plot was a plot to try to blow up Parliament and the king in an attempt to reinstate a Catholic monarch. This was during the time of heretics and accused witches being tortured and killed, and the monarchy dictating which religion the whole country should be following.
After the plot was foiled and the plotters tortured, hung, drawn and quartered. "In January 1606 Parliament passed ‘An Act for a Public Thanksgiving to Almighty God every Year on the Fifth Day of November’, making it mandatory for every church in England to hold a special service on 5 November each year – at which attendance was, at least in theory, compulsory. Many sermons struck an anti-Catholic tone." (Source: English Heritage) After this time, bonfire, fireworks, etc. were added to this time of celebration and remembrance.
And we still celebrate this to this day, although its religious history is now forgotten. It always strikes me as odd though that we don't question why we are burning an effigy of a person on top of the fire (which usually looks gruesomely real). I presume the original idea of the effigy was to discourage anyone from supporting the Catholic Church or to practice treason against the crown. But I find it interesting that we can stand happily by and watch, with our small children, what is very clearly a person, albeit now not real (but can kids distinguish this?) burning on a fire.
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