A crackling Bonfire Night fire, with sparklers. Tap for sound.
In November, the clocks have gone back, the evenings are dark, and it's hard not to think ahead to December, January and February being long, cold and grey. But November is actually one of the busiest months of the year. The Christmas markets open. There are the big sales events, such as Black Friday and Singles Day. In the UK there’s Bonfire Night, and here in Germany there’s St. Martin’s Day and the start of Carnival.
I haven’t experienced Carnival yet. Here in the north it isn't really a thing, and I know I'd have to go to Cologne or Düsseldorf to experience it. So if you've been, I'd love to hear your stories and recommendations on Instagram.
Looking out of my window, the trees still have their autumn colours, which I thought would be gone by now. It's grey but mild. Down south the webcams already show a dusting of snow. It wasn’t that long ago that I was there enjoying the late summer sun. It’s incredible how fast the seasons change and time flies. November feels like it should drag, but I find it actually merges into December. Then, before I know it, the fireworks are going off to welcome in the new year. January and dreaded February are then here, and finally in March it all springs back to life again.
On the 11th of November, in the west of Germany, Carnival kicks off at 11:11, with crowds in fancy dress, music and celebrations. Meanwhile, in the UK, November is a month of remembrance. There’s Remembrance Sunday, and on the 11th of November at 11 o’clock the whole country stops for a two-minute silence. The contrast couldn’t be bigger. If you visit the UK or watch live TV shows, it is highly likely you’ll see people wearing a poppy. When I lived in a village on the Kent coast, I'd go to the village church for the Remembrance Sunday service. The road would be closed and there'd be a procession. Whilst there was always a decent-sized crowd, each year the procession had fewer veterans marching. Sadly, the generation who fought in the Second World War is slowly leaving us. Their places are taken by their families, cadets and local groups, which is its own kind of remembrance. I always thought I'd keep that commemoration going wherever I lived. But when you're not there, you somehow stop feeling part of it. It's not that I don't think about those who have given their lives. It's just that here, nobody around me stops at 11 o'clock, and I've slowly stopped too.
Then there's Bonfire Night, on the 5th of November. Here in Germany it means nothing, but over the years, the traditions at home became mixed. For example, one Christmas would be more English, the next more German, and somehow it all blended together, a hybridisation of events and cultures. So every year I buy sparklers to mark Bonfire Night. That's harder than it sounds, because in Germany they're really only on sale for New Year's Eve, or Silvester.
In some English towns, like Winchester and Rye, Bonfire Night means huge processions. People march through the streets carrying flaming torches, with drums and loud music. Then effigies are burnt, sometimes of the year's villains. When I explained this to my partner at the time, I realised how strange it must look from the outside. It's mysterious, a bit macabre even. But when you grow up with it, you're in the inner circle and it just feels normal.
What really stays with me is the cold. As a kid, I'd be wrapped up in a hat, scarf and gloves on a string, and I couldn't wait to get close to the fire to warm up. You could see your breath in the dark sky, lit up by the glowing light of the fire. Despite the warmth of the fire, I remember my feet being so cold that I’d stamp them on the crisp, frozen grass. The last few bonfire nights I went to in the UK, I didn't even need a coat. I didn't want to go anywhere near the fire because it was simply too warm.
I've always loved fireworks. But the older I get, the more I think about the effect on animals and the environment.
The attitude to fireworks is quite different here. Although in the UK there are restrictions on buying fireworks, they do seem to go off all autumn into winter. In Germany, you mostly see them only on New Year's Eve. Sales are heavily restricted, but when they do hit the shop shelves, they’re gone within hours. Huge queues can form outside the supermarkets, waiting for the stores to open. Literally, the shelves are then stripped bare! The Germans go completely wild, as I saw in Berlin. It’s one night where the German stereotype of being orderly and predictable is well and truly proved wrong.
I think drone shows are impressive, but they're not a real alternative. They don't have the same bang, the same smell, the same magic. So how can we celebrate and enjoy those dark evenings without so much of a bang? Whatever your views, it's hard to ignore that the climate is changing, and maybe our traditions need to change with it.
What do you think? Should fireworks stay, be limited, or be replaced? Let me know on Instagram.
