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.

No need for a past tense here, Topsie - it was an essential part of my (Northumbrian) childhood and remains a feature of British culture today, even here in Catholic Lancashire!