Nobody mentionned bobbing for apples, or toasting sausages in the bonfire on the end of a stick.

ETA: Yes, I know that Americans use marshmallows instead of sausages.

It is a lot like the 4th of July, but with Guy Fawkes burnt in effigy! Nowadays we would have called him a terrorist. Just imagine if you had someone digging a tunnel under Congress to fill with explosives and blow it up. That's essentially the actual scenario, but involving the House of Common in London instead. I don't know who'd be more likely to try it - Al Qaeda or the Tea Party! Both as barmy as eachother IMHO!