Bonfire Night is celebrated in the UK on November 5th to commemorate Guy Fawkes' failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605 to blow up the Houses of Parliament and kill King James I. Guy Fawkes and his co-conspirators were Catholic extremists who wanted to overthrow the Protestant government. Their plot was foiled when guards discovered barrels of gunpowder in the cellars before the king arrived. Today, Bonfire Night celebrations involve burning effigies of Guy Fawkes, lighting bonfires and fireworks, and eating traditional foods like potatoes, soup, and parkin cake.