In the days before Guy Fawkes Night British streets held small groups of children with a 'Guy', which resembled a scarecrow, but without a pole to make him stand up. They would beg for a 'penny for the Guy'. The Guy would be burnt on a bonfire on 5 November, and the pennies would be spent on fireworks and/or toffees.
Some people have tried to play down Guy Fawkes Night by putting more emphasis on Hallowe'en - popular in the US, but hardly an improvement. And AOL started celebrating it in mid-September.