A fireworks event (also called a fireworks show ) or Pyrotechnics is a spectacular display of the effects produced by firework devices on various occasions. Fireworks competitions are also regularly held at a number of places. The biggest fireworks event in the world is held in Madeira , Portugal at the New Years' Eve celebrations, as referred in the Guinness World Records .
Firework History
The earliest unequivocal documentation of fireworks dates back to 12th century China, where they were first used to frighten away evil spirits with their loud sound ("bian pao") and also to pray for happiness and prosperity.
Eventually, the art and science of firework making developed into an independent profession of its own. In ancient China , pyrotechnicians (firework-masters) were well-respected for their knowledge and skill to mount dazzling displays of light and sound.
Bonfire Night
In 1605 Guy Fawkes and his fellow conspirators attempted to blow up the Parliament of England while the King was inside with 36 barrels of gunpowder in the cellars of Westminster Hall . On 5 November , Fawkes was arrested and Parliament was saved. That night is now celebrated, both in England and the rest of the United Kingdom , as Guy Fawkes Night or bonfire night by filling the sky with exploding fireworks, and by burning an effigy of Guy Fawkes on a bonfire .
Remember, remember the fifth of November. Gunpowder, treason, and plot. I see no reason why gunpowder treason Will ever be forgot. – a children's rhyme about the events, still spoken today The town of Lewes is famous for its annual Guy Fawkes Night celebrations. Local groups, 'bonfire societies' conduct torch-lit marches around the town, vying with each other for the best fancy-dress outfits and topical celebrity figures that are later burnt.
The largest and probably the most impressive annual fireworks display in the UK is however held not in November, but in early September in Edinburgh . Since 1981 the world's largest arts festival has ended each year with a combination of live open air orchestral pieces (performed in the Ross Band Stand, Princes Street Gardens) whilst a panoply of fireworks are launched from the ramparts of Edinburgh Castle immediately behind. The natural ampitheatre which the Princes Street area provides creates a perfect setting for enjoying the music and fireworks.
Along the same lines, in Canada, during Victoria Day and Canada Day , many fireworks displays are seen throughout.
This event was also re-enacted in V for Vendetta along with the children's rhyme.
New Years Eve
Major cities around the world host a spectacular firework display on New Year's Eve . Although it is now just a custom to fire off fireworks on New-Year's eve, in the past the idea was to scare ' bad forces ' so they would not enter the new year. As a consequence the most popular fireworks are still those that go off with a big bang or with a bright flash.
The retailing of fireworks in Europe is very different from the US, due to powder weigh limits stored in each building. In many countries around the world, people blow up many tons of fireworks every New Year's Eve.
PGI Annual Convention
The Pyrotechnics Guild International , Inc. or PGI , founded in 1969, is an independent worldwide nonprofit organization of amateur and professional fireworks enthusiasts. It is notable for its large number of members, around 3,500 in total. The PGI exists solely to further the safe usage and enjoyment of both professional grade and consumer grade fireworks while both advancing the art and craft of pyrotechnics and preserving its historical aspects. Each August the PGI conducts its annual week-long convention, where some the world's biggest and best fireworks displays occur. Vendors, competitors, and club members come from around the USA and from various parts of the globe to enjoy the show and to help out at this all-volunteer event. Aside from the nightly firework shows, the competition is a highlight of the convention. This is a completely unique event where individual classes of hand-built fireworks are competitively judged, ranging from simple fireworks rockets to extremely large and complex aerial shells. Some of the biggest, best, most intricate fireworks displays in the United States take place during the convention week.
Amateur and professional members can come to the convention to purchase fireworks, paper goods, novelty items, non-explosive chemical components and much more at the PGI trade show. Before the nightly fireworks displays and competitions, club members have a chance to enjoy open shooting of any and all legal consumer or professional grade fireworks, as well as testing and display of hand-built fireworks. The ' superstring ', consisting of firecrackers numbering somewhere in the millions, as well as the ' megastring ' are displayed as well. The week ends with the Grand Public Display on Friday night, which gives the chosen display company a chance to strut their stuff in front of some of the world's biggest fireworks aficionados. The stakes are high and much planning is put into the show. In 1994 a shell of 36 inches in diameter was fired during the convention, more than twice as large as the largest shell usually seen in the USA, and shells as large as 24 inches are frequently fired.
Halloween
In Ireland (both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland ), during the Halloween season, there are many spectacular fireworks displays. The largest are in Derry and Dublin. The sale of fireworks is restricted in the Republic of Ireland, though many illegal fireworks are sold throughout October or smuggled over the Northern Ireland border. There is a €10,000 fine for possessing them, or a five year prison sentence.
Both fireworks and firecrackers are a popular tradition during Halloween in Vancouver , although apparently this is not the custom elsewhere in Canada . The only known fireworks used during All Hallows' Eve in the United States is the annual "Happy Hallowishes" show at Walt Disney World 's Magic Kingdom "Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween" event, which began in 2006.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Fireworks Look up firework in Wiktionary , the free dictionary.
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