Fireworks! Love them, hate them or worry about them?
Local supermarket display. Readily available with your peas and potatoes!
LOVE THEM...
I was 13 in 1981 when Prince Charles and Lady Diana were married, and on the eve of their wedding day there was a massive fireworks display in Hyde Park, London; the biggest since 1749, my sister took me. I was on the brink of rebellion, starting to form my own thoughts and ideas, so I wasn’t that fussed about the royal couple but I let her drag me along. It was the most spectacular thing I'd ever seen! It was a heaving crowd, booming bangs and the whole thing set to Handel’s Firework Music. Me, my sister and half a million other people stood in awe on that hot, sticky July night watching the audacious fireworks spectacle for a good half hour. We were there for much longer of course, there was a lot of trudging about and jostling for space. I don’t really remember it in any detail, but I do remember having really enjoyed the display; it was frankly outrageous!
Charlie Ellis for Unsplash. Bonfire night in Nottingham.
Prince Charles lit the first of 101 beacons across the nation as a tribute to his new bride; a nod to the medieval practice of lighting bonfires in a chain to alert people to important news, a bit like a really hot Twitter. The Royal Family were all there, but not Diana; she was in bed getting plenty of sleep before the big day. Showing us how little she mattered to them right from the start, as long as they had their bombastic ceremonies.
Growing up we would go to municipal displays held on the local common or sports grounds, usually with a massive bonfire piled as high as a house and all the Guys that had been made by local kids chucked on to burn; all the pennies raised going to local charities. I remember the hedgehog check before the tower was set ablaze. There’d be hot potatoes and teas, sparklers and gloves, sausages and fizzy pop.
My friend F is firework mad; she used to live next door to me and we had a few really dicey displays in her tiny garden back when our kids were small. Her eyes would light up like a Catherine Wheel (named after a medieval torture device incidentally) and she’d squeal with delight as the slow fizz turned into a bang. We weren’t always sure which way the damn thing would go, it was scary but exciting! More than once a loose rocket would shoot towards the house where we were all trembling in wait, ready to scatter.
HATE THEM...
I hate to be a party pooper, a misery guts, a mardy old git… but they’re just too loud and big and frequent now. I grew up with cats and dogs; they generally aren’t fans, and so your resentment builds when you see them panicking, quivering and hiding behind the sofa or under the bed. I’m pretty sure the ones you can buy in local shops are a lot more powerful than they used to be and the bangs feel like bombs as they resonate in your chest. The street feels like a war zone with the noisy displays in the road or gardens, and debris falling down making little holes in your clothes is annoying.
From PIxabay
I was at a ramshackle get together on St Werburgh’s Mound in the 90’s and some punks chucked some fireworks in the fire… as they all started to go off and we realised what was happening we fled, and a rocket exploded into my favourite jumper and my long henna’d hair, mid back and in a giant flash all around me. Bystanders said they were amazed I wasn’t hurt given the drama of it all; I just had a small bruise and a singe on my jumper. My hair flew up and out of its way miraculously.
And once as a moody teen brooding over some lad, I was at a house where they had some cheapo fireworks in the garden and they were so erratic and loud I felt slightly traumatised by the whole sorry saga. I was breaking my heart over some boy and I remember feeling very agitated by the noise, crying and shaking. It was hardly surprising that I started to feel triggered by the bangs; I had managed to create quite a drama for myself.
WORRY ABOUT THEM...
They used to be confined to new years eve and bonfire night and maybe one or two other major celebrations… but now they’re easily available all year round. Everything is, and I don’t wish to complain about that, I love celebrations and sparkles and colour and fun, I just wish they weren’t so damn loud. Is it me or have they actually got louder over the years? Am I just more sensitive now?
My poor cats certainly find them very stressful and I know a lot of pet owners who take issue with the broad use and availability of them.. Although once I’ve got my cats safely indoors and some noise on, I quite like watching them out of the window. A lot of people enjoy the bangs, especially the really loud ones, but they freak me out! And I know I’m not alone, it’s not just cats and dogs shivering behind sofas.
Their history is fascinating and long, they've been around for ages (literal ages). The earliest fireworks came from China during the Song Dynasty (960–1279). Our own connections with them in the UK came from the Guy Fawkes Gunpowder Plot in 1605; I remember learning about it at school and half wishing they'd succeeded in blowing up parliament, but another parliament would have come along. So that’s over 400 years of bangs for us on this little island. I know the noise is part of the fun for the majority; I’ve found it fun too sometimes, but it’s terrible for wildlife, farm animals, pets, nervous people, atypical people and people with PTSD. I wonder if a compromise can be met.
I don’t know if there’s a really good solution to it and I would hate to be the rain that puts them out… but can they take some of the bang out of it and just have the pretty sparkles and a few whizzy noises and snaps? I really love the simpler stuff’ sparklers in the street with the neighbourhood kids is a classic treat where I live (see photos above). And maybe more organised displays and fewer garden displays. Maybe we should have to apply for a licence to be able to buy them?
I COULD LEARN TO LOVE THEM MORE...
“Silent fireworks are becoming popular for providing all the beauty without the added explosive sounds imitating artillery and warfare that traumatize pets, wildlife, and many humans. The Italian town of Collecchio switched to silent fireworks in 2015, mandating the switch.” Wikipedia.
It is possible, and I’d love to see it happen here; there are other ways we can celebrate. This year for Halloween Frome put on a really special drone display and it made for a lovely alternative; you can see it here. This tech has got legs! It had a sort of Close Encounters feel at each end of the display, and plenty of lovely stuff in the middle.
My firework mad neighbour had a really amazing display at her wedding which she was involved in setting off and it was a fantastic way to close the day. I have over the years seen some amazing displays to end festivals or concerts, to celebrate special occasions, but the bangs have always been a problem for me. I wouldn’t want to take fireworks away from anyone, but...shhhh! Maybe?
Written by Vonalina Cake
I’m Von Cake, a freelance photographer and writer. I’ve been writing for The Everyday since its inception and have really enjoyed the freedom to explore my journalistic desires through this medium. Most of my pieces are self explorations and reminiscences of my own life. Through this lens I can explore various cultures and movements. Even when I try not to, I often find myself in the writing. My dream is to be a photographer and writer full time and earn enough to live well from it. My favourite places to be are in the pit at the gig or in my writing chair at home. I was told to stop daydreaming out of the window a lot at school. Well...I never stopped. Keep dreaming.
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