A CRACKER OF A DAY!!!
October 21st 2007 07:55
Does anyone remember Cracker Night? I LOVED fire crackers!! As a six year old, I could waltz unaccompanied into a store, put my money on the counter, and actually walk out with EXPLOSIVES!!
The biggest cracker available to me as a kid was the "four penny" bunger, (pronounced "forp-penny"), a large stick of black powder explosive that could utterly destroy a letter box, or lift a hedge clean out of the ground, if a few were strapped together! Many VERY bad boys did this! I didn't do the really naughty stuff, too scared of being caught and having my crackers taken off me!
We used to celebrate it as Guy Fawkes Night, held every year on the anniversary of Fawkes attempting to blow up the Houses of Parliament, in merry ole England! You built up a huge bonfire in the backyard, if it was large enough, or you attended one at the end of the street, usually on an oval, where an effigy of Guy Fawkes was placed, (if anyone got their act together to make it), on top of the mound of boxes, broken furniture, stolen Cheps pallets, whatever was available! Then usually an adult doused it with LOTS of petrol, and threw a match at it! The power of the whumpf, as the petrol ignited was always a crowd pleaser, and nearly knocked you off your feet, if close enough!
Later on, the government changed the date of Cracker Night, to coincide with the Queen's Official Birthday. This was a bore, as it was in winter in Australia, but, at least you still had several weeks lead up to the event.
So, every weekend, and increasingly every day as it got closer, you would hear explosions going off, and rockets WHISTLING into the air, day and night!!
Penny rockets were a challenge. They were tiny, used to cost one penny, until decimal currency of course (14th of February 1966...Dollar Dan's song indeed..), and you could (if brave enough...ahem...) hold it by the end of its shaft, light it and it would WHIZZ out of your hand towards your friend's body...but no too close, there were SOME rules!
Unfortunately for me, I had two older and meaner brothers!
My eldest brother built a kind of bazooka out of the old Electrolux vacuum cleaner. It could shoot a rock about twenty feet, with the right cracker in it. We played 'war', had a fort in the back yard, and there were a LOT of near misses, but luckily for us, no casualties.
This was not the case for a lot of other children, adults, and very sadly, some animals, including dogs and cats. Now I realize it wasn't allowing kids to have crackers that was dangerous, it was the psychology of the person with the firework. Psychopaths will always be with us regrettably.
My other favourites were;
Four Penny Bunger...used to be the three penny..but by the time I bought it, cost had increased, hence the name!
Tuppeny Bungers...the size down from the most destructive firework allowed into kid's hands.
Double Bungers...never as good as the tuppeny, but always a must have, and a nice design on its jacket!
Penny bungers...the junior of the big crackers, bright red jacket, like its big bros
Yankees....about an inch long, looks like a bunger, but no oomph! Chinese use them together in strings, I always separated mine to get as much enjoyment as I could out of them.
Tom Thumbs...the last and tiniest bunger of them all, again came in strings, again I separated each one.
Jumping Jacks...light it and RUN! Because they chased you along the ground exploding every second, causing the jumping movement.
Throw Downs...the tamest of them all. A tiny packet sealed with a cap and some little stone chips, with a target on one side, which you threw at the ground, and POP!
Then there were the "nice" crackers;
Flower Pot...a fave with the bunger crew..starts out pretty, with golden showers then explodes!
Catherine Wheel...it was stuck on a fence and whizzed around in a circle emitting pretty colours.
Snow Drop...there were HEAPS of little sticks you stuck in the ground and watched pretty colours emit from it
Golden Shower...as above...except golden
Roman Candle..a real crowd pleaser, sometimes disperser if an idiot got one in his hand. It could be hand held and shot out multi- coloured fire balls about ten to twenty feet!
Sparklers...the only 'firework' we can still freely buy today...sigh..still, I loved writing my name in the night air with them.
Then came the wonderful rockets;
I could never afford the big rockets, or if I wanted to buy one, it would cost all my cracker money. I used to buy a medium size rocket , I think it was blue on the outside, (maybe it was poking fun at our failed space programme and its Blue Streak Rocket...which only ever blew up!), and exploded into a nice display.
There was one HUGE rocket I used to lust after every year, it had a big red plastic nose cone, and was about two feet long in its fuselage, and very thick. I never saw anyone buy it, however.
I have rattled on too long...but I miss those days sooo much!
Now, we have to wait till New Years Eve, and stand from afar, as the pros really blow the place up!
sigh....
cheers
fog
The biggest cracker available to me as a kid was the "four penny" bunger, (pronounced "forp-penny"), a large stick of black powder explosive that could utterly destroy a letter box, or lift a hedge clean out of the ground, if a few were strapped together! Many VERY bad boys did this! I didn't do the really naughty stuff, too scared of being caught and having my crackers taken off me!
We used to celebrate it as Guy Fawkes Night, held every year on the anniversary of Fawkes attempting to blow up the Houses of Parliament, in merry ole England! You built up a huge bonfire in the backyard, if it was large enough, or you attended one at the end of the street, usually on an oval, where an effigy of Guy Fawkes was placed, (if anyone got their act together to make it), on top of the mound of boxes, broken furniture, stolen Cheps pallets, whatever was available! Then usually an adult doused it with LOTS of petrol, and threw a match at it! The power of the whumpf, as the petrol ignited was always a crowd pleaser, and nearly knocked you off your feet, if close enough!
Later on, the government changed the date of Cracker Night, to coincide with the Queen's Official Birthday. This was a bore, as it was in winter in Australia, but, at least you still had several weeks lead up to the event.
So, every weekend, and increasingly every day as it got closer, you would hear explosions going off, and rockets WHISTLING into the air, day and night!!
Penny rockets were a challenge. They were tiny, used to cost one penny, until decimal currency of course (14th of February 1966...Dollar Dan's song indeed..), and you could (if brave enough...ahem...) hold it by the end of its shaft, light it and it would WHIZZ out of your hand towards your friend's body...but no too close, there were SOME rules!
Unfortunately for me, I had two older and meaner brothers!
My eldest brother built a kind of bazooka out of the old Electrolux vacuum cleaner. It could shoot a rock about twenty feet, with the right cracker in it. We played 'war', had a fort in the back yard, and there were a LOT of near misses, but luckily for us, no casualties.
This was not the case for a lot of other children, adults, and very sadly, some animals, including dogs and cats. Now I realize it wasn't allowing kids to have crackers that was dangerous, it was the psychology of the person with the firework. Psychopaths will always be with us regrettably.
My other favourites were;
Four Penny Bunger...used to be the three penny..but by the time I bought it, cost had increased, hence the name!
Tuppeny Bungers...the size down from the most destructive firework allowed into kid's hands.
Double Bungers...never as good as the tuppeny, but always a must have, and a nice design on its jacket!
Penny bungers...the junior of the big crackers, bright red jacket, like its big bros
Yankees....about an inch long, looks like a bunger, but no oomph! Chinese use them together in strings, I always separated mine to get as much enjoyment as I could out of them.
Tom Thumbs...the last and tiniest bunger of them all, again came in strings, again I separated each one.
Jumping Jacks...light it and RUN! Because they chased you along the ground exploding every second, causing the jumping movement.
Throw Downs...the tamest of them all. A tiny packet sealed with a cap and some little stone chips, with a target on one side, which you threw at the ground, and POP!
Then there were the "nice" crackers;
Flower Pot...a fave with the bunger crew..starts out pretty, with golden showers then explodes!
Catherine Wheel...it was stuck on a fence and whizzed around in a circle emitting pretty colours.
Snow Drop...there were HEAPS of little sticks you stuck in the ground and watched pretty colours emit from it
Golden Shower...as above...except golden
Roman Candle..a real crowd pleaser, sometimes disperser if an idiot got one in his hand. It could be hand held and shot out multi- coloured fire balls about ten to twenty feet!
Sparklers...the only 'firework' we can still freely buy today...sigh..still, I loved writing my name in the night air with them.
Then came the wonderful rockets;
I could never afford the big rockets, or if I wanted to buy one, it would cost all my cracker money. I used to buy a medium size rocket , I think it was blue on the outside, (maybe it was poking fun at our failed space programme and its Blue Streak Rocket...which only ever blew up!), and exploded into a nice display.
There was one HUGE rocket I used to lust after every year, it had a big red plastic nose cone, and was about two feet long in its fuselage, and very thick. I never saw anyone buy it, however.
I have rattled on too long...but I miss those days sooo much!
Now, we have to wait till New Years Eve, and stand from afar, as the pros really blow the place up!
Sydney Harbour Bridge New Years Eve
sigh....
cheers
fog
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Comment by katyzzz
Photography Tips
Health Focus
Poetry Lighthouse
MS Paint Art
sure do,
I loved it too
kids building bonfires
sparklers for girls and pretty things
Bungers for boys
All with whizz and a zing.
Ah, yes, I remember it WELL
but then again I use my brain.
and train
katyzzz
Comment by Tracy
Movies and Life
I remember Guy Fawkes Night/Bonfire Night well, as you said, it was a huge thing in England.
It was so exciting and fun and the cold didn't seem to matter as much. It just meant we wrapped up more, shivered and gazed and gasped. My sister's fave was the Catherine Wheel, thank-you for making me remember her face when it came on.
What a happy post, this really made me smile,
Tracy
Comment by Mountain Fog
Infognito
long time no chat...comment! Glad you dropped by, I saw your post on keeping the camera steady a few minutes ago in the list, about to check it out, that is one of my pet peeves with digital.
I've been here all the time, bit too laid back, and most of my posts don't register on the list, coz I've only got 10 points or whatever it is and it's set to 20.
So cheers and chat soon...and some fond memories of Cracker Night too!
fog
Comment by Mountain Fog
Infognito
Great to see you pop by again! You intrepid giant natural wonder ogling travelling person you!! (I am referring to the Grand Can...of course!! hehe)
Yes...crackers...damn...actua lly, I 'd probably be just as happy, if they were brought back, with the coloured pretty ones...well...almost...but I loved them dearly too.
I used to put all the ones I was actually going to use on Cracker Night in a shoe box. One year, while doing boy things with my pal, throwing bungers into the tree and watching them explode, a spark fell into my shoe box....and yes...they all went up, in about two seconds...a depressing evening!
However, I'm GLAD I put a smile on yer dial, and particularly with fond memories of your sis!!
cheers and keep on bangin!! ...err...no that doesn't sound quite the proper thing to say!! tee hee!
fog
Comment by Michaelie
Flick Wit
Great post, what a riot! I always loved/feared fireworks as a kid. Our neighbour was an ex-policeman and so used to get all sorts of illegal ones and set them off in his paddock for our enjoyment.
Fantastic reminiscence, not so sure about the 'golden showers' though... Lol.
Michaelie
Comment by Mountain Fog
Infognito
HA!! Yes I know, after writing it, I re-read to edit, and saw it...couldn't decide if this "Golden Shower" was an actual firework or some appalling Freudian slip! I think it was one...hope...and of course
I forgot one other wonderful one, the Volcano!! Cone shaped, it exuded lava, of a sort, very impressive!
OH! And the UFO, seen rarely, how appropriate, and it was "saucer" shaped, small, and actually flew through the air...a bit dangerous as it hurtled horizontally at your face...oh well...and there was a Devil's something or other...vague memory...probably because I was a terrified Catholic child and...well...anyhoo, it was a cracker and exploded on the ground hurtling it into the air and blew up again! It was more costly the truth be known, and lastly, the underwater one, again the cost outweighed the drama on my paltry cracker budget!
Thanks for commenting...and wot fun eh guvnah!!??!!
fog
Comment by Mr Nice Guy
Pop Culturist
I remember the entire week was spent just waiting for that hallowed of nights to roll around.
The thrill of having your father waltz in with a huge brown paper bag full of catherine wheels, sky rockets, roman candles, sparklers, throw downs, jumping jacks - it was as close to Christmas as you could get.
Then - rugged up - we'd venture outside and run around well . . like kids writing our names with out sparklers - as sky rockets (complete with the little parachute man inside) whistled into the night sky.
And when it was all done - you'd take a deep breath and try get your heart beat back under 1000.
Great times - thanks for bringing em back buddy.
MNG
Comment by Mountain Fog
Infognito
taa for the kind sentiments on your blog, and yes, we of the "cracker" generation really had a great time!
And thanks for reminding me about the little guy and the parachute! I forgot about that one!
cheers
fog
Comment by Tracy
Movies and Life
Your post and memories definitely did make me smile, thank-you
Comment by Mountain Fog
Infognito
Thanks for commenting, and yes, I had fun, loads of it, and no one was injured, by my actions or by my friends, nor any animal, so thank God for that!
Well, I did sustain one small self inflicted injury, again that ruddy bunger throwing in the tree, you had to hold it in throw position, so it was beside you ear, till the fuse was low enough, so it exploded in the air and not fall to ground....well...you can guess...a penny bunger blew up near my ear, but only once, learnt my lesson, but have tinitus to this day!
cheers
fog
Comment by KylieW
Celebrity Obsession
My all-time favourite New Years Eve was a couple of years ago in Amsterdam. At midnight the locals went NUTS with the fireworks. Everyone was lugging boxes of them out on to the streets. It felt like being in the middle of downtown Baghdad!! Amazing.
My favourite was watching this old guy who had the biggest box of fireworks just letting one go after the after. I looked over as he was lighting a rocket.....WITH THE CIGARETTE IN HIS MOUTH!!!!!! Talk about safety first. I was giggling hysterically for ages at that.
Fireworks are fun!!
Comment by Mountain Fog
Infognito
AMAZING!! You beat me hands down on this one! Lighting a rocket from a fag in your mouth....too much!
Alas, never got further than PNG, and funnily enough, as I sat day dreaming in a charming cafe courtyard this afternoon, between battling the first phalanx of flies for the season, I remembered that trip and intended to make a post on it...so there ya go eh wot!!??
cheers
fog
Comment by DuskDevi
Rugby World Cup 2007
Mind you I wouldn't want pyros to get hold of the technics ...
Hindus celebrate *Diwali (Deepawali - Night of Lights, akin to Christmas and NYE) with firecrackers but most countries have outlawed them now.
The crackers are lit to celebrate the return of a prince (a God in human form/avatar) and chase away darkness and bad spirits.
...we used to have the best drain rocket fights... it's best I leave it at that...
I loved the handheld colour ball shooters!
...ahh reminiscing...
Hope you're well fog hon...
Dusk
*soon!
Comment by Mountain Fog
Infognito
we could have had fun with rockets in the big drain pipes...unless it was too dangerous...I miss bungers...
cheers
fog