Remember, Remember

Remember, remember,
The fifth of November,
With gunpowder, treason, and plot.
I see no reason,
Why gunpowder treason,
Should ever be forgot.

On the fifth of November, we Brits like to honour a grand old tradition. We commemorate the overthrowing of a plot to blow up the houses of Parliament about four hundred years ago, by a group including one Guy Fawkes. Guy Fawkes was caught, hung, drawn, and quartered. Some people prefer to say that it’s about honouring Fawkes’ attempt to blow up the government, so, you know, whatever you prefer to celebrate, it’s an excuse for fireworks.

The central event of Bonfire Night aka Guy Fawkes Day is the burning of the Guy. Kids make an effigy of Fawkes, and in the evening, we stick him on a bonfire and burn him. Now, I’m not sure that burning effigies of late medieval criminals quite fits Blair’s image of New Britain, but to me it’s rather a nice reminder of the democratic process—that government is put in place by the people and should probably stay that way until peacefully removed by the people.

So my family and guest family member Trish got together to burn the guy and celebrate being British.









And Bonfire night happened to fall the day after the US election. However one feels about the results (personally: HURRAH!), it was certainly a landmark one. For one thing, I got to vote. And it was a fantastic night of seeing the voice of the people in action and being celebrated.

It seemed sort of poetic to be celebrating two triumphs of democracy in the same week. And comforting to remember that government by the people has survived and thrived for a long time. And is likely to continue for a while.