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stemming from an innate dislike of being dictated to by outsiders - be they foreign powers, or any who attempt unfairly to exert their authority or influence. The major act of remembrance nowadays is that for the dead of the two World Wars, each Society in turn laying a wreath at the War Memorial. Although some societies in particular pay homage to the old traditions, with effigies of Pope Paul V (Camillo Borghese, Pope at the time of the Gunpowder Plot) and Guy Fawkes exploding in a blaze of fireworks, but I must stress that the Bonfire celebrations are certainly no longer a Protestant festival, and Roman Catholics and people of all beliefs participate freely in the celebrations.

Before delving into the details of the event, first a few precautions if you are thinking of attending. The first thing to consider is how you travel there. As arguably the most famous November 05th celebration in the country, Lewes attracts a lot of people, up to 80000 have been estimated throughout the course of the event. Also the streets will become impassable to any form of vehicle for the duration. As the hotels in the local vicinity are probably booked up months in advance the best way to approach the event is to stay in the neighbouring larger town of Brighton (less than 10 miles away) and travel there and back by the regular train service. This year 1.70 covered the journey both ways and the journey is about 15 minutes, queuing for the train will take a lot longer though.

The precession marches through the high street a number of times and that means that you need to invest a couple of hours to experience the whole show. Hundreds of people from the areas Bonfire Societies march through al armed with torches. Many wear the mask and striped Guernsey jumpers that have their origins in the days of anarchic mayhem of the Bonfire Boys whose enthusiasm for arson was curbed by the setting up of the societies. Many others march in fancy dress. Uniforms cover the whole of history from our ancient Celtic ancestors right up to World War II. Amongst these historical contributions are found some bizarre characters. Harlequins dance, mad animal figures roar and other unidentifiable figures beat drums or shout abuse at the crowd under the darting shadows of the hundreds of torches. Interspersed amongst them are marching bands adding a sound track ranging from Rule Britannia to Green Day to liven things up. The things that you will never forget are the tableaux and effigies that are carried

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