Bonfire: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

A bonfire is a large controlled outdoor fire. The word is believed to be a corruption of "bone fire" deriving from a Celtic midsummer festival where animal bones were burnt to ward off evil spirits. In Britain bonfires are particularly associated with bonfire night (also known as fireworks night or Guy Fawkes night), an annual commemoration of the discovery of the Gunpowder Plot on 5 November 1605.