THERE will be fireworks galore all over Southend, Billericay, Basildon, Rochford and other parts of Essex this weekend.

But according to research carried out by Perspectus Global, 40 percent of young people are unaware that bonfire night commemorates Guy Fawke's failed attempt to blow up the Houses of Parliament in 1605.

The insights agency says it surveyed 1,500 young Brits, aged 16-29, and discovered although 92 percent celebrate bonfire night every year, as many as 40 percent were unaware of the nature of the tradition.

The date showed almost a quarter (23 percent) thought bonfire night was a “pagan festival”, while a further 17 percent thought it was a “traditional celebration to ward off evil spirits”.

When it comes to the man himself, 74 percent said they had heard of Guy Fawkes, however one in ten (10 percent) thought he was a fictional character, while seven percent thought he was famous for being the inventor of fireworks.

Almost one in ten (seven percent) thought he had designed the fork, while six percent insisted, he was an MP.

The study also revealed 30 percent of youngsters think the gunpowder plot was an attempt to kill Henry VIII, while nine percent thought it was an attempt on the life of Queen Elizabeth 1.

For anyone who doesn't know and maybe wants to fill in their young relative or friend about why they might be attending firework displays this weekend, you can let them know Guy (Guido) Fawkes planned to blow up the Houses of Parliament on November 5,1605 at the state opening, in a bid to kill King James I and members of the commons and the Lords.

Their plot was discovered the night before the grand opening when yeoman guards searched the cellars and Fawkes was discovered with a fuse, lamp, box of matches and thirty-six poorly hidden barrels of gunpowder.

Fawkes and his co-conspirators Robert Catesby, Thomas Winter, Thomas Percy, and John Wright were arrested and taken to the Tower of London where they were tortured before being hung drawn and quartered on January 30 and January 31 1606.

Ellie Glason, from Perspectus Global said: “It’s great to see how many Brits hold on to and celebrate time-old traditions such as bonfire night, even if some aren’t entirely sure of the exact meaning.”

Also according to the survey, the majority of those quizzed (52 percent) had never heard of the tradition of Penny for the Guy, where children would build their own “Guy” out of rags and old clothes.