England's bonfire tradition is older than Guy Fawkes. Burning the year's debris goes back to pre-Christian times, and Parliament's 1606 act that marked the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605 simply gave an old habit a new excuse. Food has always been part of the celebration. Potatoes baked in the embers of the fire are among the oldest bonfire foods: the herbalist John Gerard mentioned the practice in 1633. Potatoes reached England in the 1570s and were long dismissed as exotic or animal feed, becoming a staple only during the food shortages of the late 18th century. In northern England, parkin gingerbread and treacle toffee are still traditional.

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.