As I type this there is a firework display going on about three-quarters of a mile away, and has been for ages now, the bangs are virtually shaking my house. Are professional displays getting louder?

Generally speaking these professional displays are safer than lots of small private displays although accidents still happen.

For those of you not in the UK, 5th November is 'bonfire night' when people let off fireworks but it is common for such events to take place several days either side.

Heaven only knows why we have bonfire night here in Jersey as we have our own government and the Houses of Parliament in London are nothing to do with us so why should we care if there had been a plot to blow them up.

So are fireworks noisier?

Don't like fireworks much except watching them through a window but YES Sue I reckon they get noisier each year!

Bigger booms for better results. I rather like fireworks myself, and the boom is part of the experience. Hearing those deep cracks rumbling through the ground to hit my feet just about the time the first cascades of light fill the sky just makes it that much better.

Sue, I reckon that people celebrate bonfire night in Jersey because it is an excuse to light off fireworks. Here in the states, people will use any ol' excuse to light them off. Granted, in most states you can only light them off on certain nights, and the rest of the time it is illegal, but still...

It's illegal in Australia too unless you get a special permit, but, apparently in NZ it is not illegal, except for really big rockets!

I love fireworks, always have - we get to see the big displays they do in the city each year from our upstairs balcony even tho' we live over 40km away!

They are dangerous tho' had one explode in my face as a child and couldn't see properly for a couple of weeks, but I was lucky, people have been killed, not to mention low lifes that have tortured small animals as well!

I am thankful to say, they are completely illegal here, except as part of a Government approved show.I am against fireworks as I love animals too much.
I heard the other day that in New Zealand they actually celebrate Guy Fawkes Night. Can a kiwi here confirm this? Interesting...

I guess I don't understand being against fireworks for a love of animals. Could you explain?

The sudden loud noises scare the bejesus out of them - every fireworks event here there are warnings about keeping you pets as far away as possible.

Kiwi here =)
Yes, we celebrate Guy Fawkes (5th Nov)
Yes, fireworks are legal (if you're over 14)
Skyrockets were banned about 6 years ago. Crackers were banned about ten years before that.
Guy Fawkes is awesome fun when it's not abused. It's an amazing sight to watch over the city with hundreds of explosions every few seconds. But I do live near our country's biggest zoo and the animals understandably don't get the same enjoyment I do!

Welcome to the forums, Hallucinaut!

Suppose it's easy to keep the family pet indoor but zoos must have a hell of a time.

Welcome hallucinaut, but WHY do you celebrate Guy Fawkes? Surely he has even less to do with NZ than he does here?

I am just a tight wad, I have been known to question children who are collecting 'a penny for the guy' as to why they feel that Jersey should have such a celebration. I have said that I will willingly give them money (liar) if they can make a good case. They look at me in amazement, they actually have no idea who he was or if they do know then they cannot make a Jersey connection.

But New Zealand? I just don't get it.

We used to celebrate Guy Fawkes night in Australia yonks ago, when I was a child! But, due to the dangerous nature of fireworks, they were banned as I said above. And, Sue, why Australia would celebrate Guy Fawkes is beyond me except for the fact that we love a party and most of our predecessors were from the UK! SO too NZ!

I am wondering about that too, Sue
I hope halucinaut can enlighten us.

Diwali- once called the "festival of lights", now better known as the "festival of sounds")- is less than a week away, and I am bracing myself for not enjoying a single night of peaceful sleep. For about 4 days at a stretch, every minute of the night is punctuated by loud "booms" which go on all through the night (and day as well), with an average night-time frequency of one every 1-2 seconds (and I am NOT exaggerating here).

The explosions have already begun (I think they started with the Indian victory over the Australians in the recent test match ); I dread to imagine what the situation will be like in 5 days' time.

I understand that people can obtain pleasure from noises accompanying displays of light, but ear-splitting noises all by themselves- what's the point? How DO people manage to enjoy themselves by just listening to loud explosions?

We have a big problem of noise pollution every Diwali, and even though explosions louder than 125 decibels have been banned, this regulation is seldome met with. If relatively young people like myself have such a horrible time because of the noise pollution, then what about the elderly, the sick and infants (not to mention the animals)? Are people so completely insensitive?

I guess I'm just asking a rhetorical question here.

But just try banning them; they'll be riots all over India, and the Supreme Court will be moved for infringement of the Fundamental Rights, the UPA (Indian Ruling Coalition) will be thrashed in the elections, and democracy will triumph.

Hey guys - thanks for the warm welcome >8)
I guess it's just been passed down with other colonial traditions, such as celebrating the queen's birthday and other commonwealth niceties.
It's odd that no-one else seems to call it Guy Fawkes day though!
I'm sure it would have been forgotten quite a while ago if it wasn't a reason to have a big party. And it makes up for having no halloween (as much as the corporates are trying to start that up in the past decade).

There's an increasing push to get rid of fireworks because of the fire hazard, so it will probably end up being public displays only in 10 years or less. I guess that's why Australia would have ditched them earlier - so much drier than here. My guess anyway!

Many types of fireworks are illegal here because we live in a plains state (lots of grass and grain) and often in July it is very dry. So most types of aerial fireworks are not legal. Anything over a certain decible level is illegal, including those noisy whistling things and such. And the large displays are only done one night, and only for about an hour just after dark, on July 4th, put on by the city. Nothing big enough to make a really loud boom when it explodes is legal for regular residents. And even on the two days fireworks are legal within the city limits, it is not legal to set them off between midnight and 7am. My animals aren't bothered by fireworks in the least, though my daughter wasn't quite sure what to do with them this last July 4th. I do understand the issue of animals being afraid of them, I just wasn't sure whether you meant that or rotten children terrorizing wildlife.

Fireworks used to be mostly illegal in Minnesota until two years ago when some of the bans were lifted. It was amazing how many fireworks stands opened up, because many people had been setting fireworks off for years, obtaining them across the border in Wisconsin.

Our city display on the fourth of July is in a large soccer park surrounded by neighborhoods, and if you get there earlier than sundown, you can see the numerous private pre-shows in people's backyards. The police generally look the other way (as I learned when I went to a friends house for fireworks before they were legal- we had a full display in her front yard, which was practically in plain view of the highway).