"Penny For The Guy" (1 Viewer)

[Bill Cowmeadow]

And what does Mr Markworthy think of the 'English' tradition of kids standing on the corner begging for "A Penny For The Guy".
When I was a youngster, I actually did quite well at this vocation for about a month prior to each Guy Fawkes night.
What say you?

 

[andrew markworthy]

No great objection to the practice (assuming that the kids get a responsible adult to buy and handle the fireworks). My only gripe is when kids ask for money and either the guy is utterly pathetic or even non-existent. [Just to set the record straight, my objection to trick or treat isn't the practice itself, but that in the UK it's just been imported for no good reason].
And now for American readers wondering what the Hell we're talking about. Prior to Guy Fawke's night (Nov 5th) children will either stand in the street or go door to door with an effigy of Guy Fawkes they've made, asking 'a penny foe the guy'. The original idea was that you only stumped up the money if the guy looked any good. In fact, the practice is largely dying out.

 

[Neil Joseph]

I always associate Guy Fawkes night with those children they show that have their faces burnt because of improper handling of the fireworks. Do they still say "a penny" or have they increased it now to a pound?
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[Philip_G]

I have no idea what guy fawkes night is off to the search engines I go...
ohh ok I got it.
[Edited last by Philip_G on November 07, 2001 at 09:28 AM]

 

[andrew markworthy]

We don't seem to have the films of firework victims with the same frequency on Brit TV any more. This may be because Guy Fawke's Night is no longer quite the big thing it once was, and a lot of families these days go to big organised displays, because they are (a) more spectacular and (b) safer. The irony is that the last couple of nasty fireworks-related injuries I can think of occurred at displays.
Kids rarely ask for a 'penny for the guy' any more - it's more likely to be 'money for the guy', though one enterprising soul was asking for '50p for the Guy'.