Guy Fawkes Day

Remember, remember the Fifth of November,

The Gunpowder Treason and Plot,

I know of no reason

Why the Gunpowder Treason

Should ever be forgot.

For anyone not from England, this past Thursday, Nov 5 was Guy Fawkes Day. This day is not a national holiday in the sense that no working individual gets a day off, but none-the-less the Brits celebrate it as such. The celebration is quite ironic as Guy Fawkes was one of a group of Roman Catholic restorationists from England who planned to displace Protestant rule by blowing up the Houses of Parliament while King James I and the nobility were inside. Guy Fawkes and his conspirators saw this as a necessary reaction to the systematic discrimination against English Catholics. The Gunpowder Plot’s execution failed due to Parliament receiving an anonymous warning letter in the early hours of Nov 5^th, 1605 thereby catching Guy Fawkes in the act.

In celebration of this evening, the International Café outreach I am apart of went to the Lancaster Castle to watch the fireworks. It was a typical English night, which simply means it was raining. There wasn’t a light drizzle but rather a torrential downpour. But unlike Colorado, the rain had no effect on the Brits determination to make the fireworks show continue. I felt like such a foreigner as three Americans fought to stay dry under an umbrella made for one.

I must admit that the show was really good. I have never been that close to fireworks before and, as is British tradition, you must accompany the show with music, I found the whole experience much better than the celebration of the 4^th of July. I can’t believe I just said that but I think my fondness of this country is becoming greater and greater each day. Of course my patronage is still with the USA so hold your drawers.