bonfire n Cp OED ~ sb 4 'large fire kindled in the open air for a celebration, display or amusement': (a) on eves of St John and St Peter; (b) in celebration of some public event [see esp 1772 quot for the association with Guy Fawkes]. Comb bonfire night: the night of November 5th and the customary celebration of the anniversary of the Gunpowder Plot; occas various dates in midsummer celebrated by the lighting of outdoor fires; TORCH NIGHT.
   1936 SMITH 114 We opened the Club on Bonfire Night, November 5th. 1965 Evening Telegram 5 Nov, p. 6 Bonfire Night is an interesting carryover of an Old Country tradition, and the mere fact that it still survives in some places, is of far more significance than the name ... of Guy Fawkes. 1966 FARIS 208 At the time of 'Bonfire Night' (5 November—though only rare individuals know the English antecedents for the celebration), barrels of any sort which are left unprotected are 'bucked.' M 68-2 November 5th was the big celebration for the Anglicans. The Catholics never took part, understandably thinking about the original Guy Fawkes night. They tried to make really big bonfires, sometimes with full blubber barrels, to rile the Romans. 1977 Decks Awash vi (3), p. 54 On bonfire night he used to have a tar barrel put outside for the boys who'd be going around getting stuff for the bonfire... They would set the tar barrel afire then, and you could see the fire for miles around.

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