After experiencing a celebrated Mexican traditional festival, it seemed only fair that we introduced our hosts to something truly British. The 5th November provided us with this opportunity, as Guy Fawkes Night came around, with more of a crackle than a bang. This was Guy’s baby – quite literally, as he carried around his Guy all day as if it was his own flesh and blood. We had spent part of the night before surreally stuffing discarded children’s clothes with old banana leaves, and blowing up balloon heads, until we had two ‘Guys’ vaguely resembling Matt Lucas. The kids lapped up Guy’s presentation, to them the idea of November being cold enough to warm your bum cheeks over a blazing bonfire and eat jacket potatoes stuffed with baked beans (strange British cuisine) being utterly foreign and intriguing. We then started off what I feel is going to be an annual Escuela Secundaria Tecnica #116 tradition, by ritually burning our Guy in a small bonfire, which our students made up in the yard – what some of them lack in natural linguistic flair they more than make up for in more practical aspects, something which I will forever be lacking in. The Mexican calendar does allow for a similar tradition, on the 31st December they burn ‘un viejo’ (an old man) symbolising the old year, thus they burn away the bad of the past 12 months in order for the new, successful year to rise, like a 365-winged phoenix, out of the ashes.
We didn’t have fireworks, and we sweated by the heat of the fire in the afternoon sun, but we nonetheless gave old Guy Fawkes the burning he deserved.
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