Happy Guy Fawkes Day!

Remember, remember, the Fifth of November,
     Gunpowder, Treason and Plot.
I see no reason why Gunpowder Treason
          Should ever be forgot.*

You'll know what I'm talking about, of course.  On this day in 1605, Guy Fawkes (and his baker's dozen of men) planned to blow up Parliament.  They intended to wipe out the entire English system of government, along with its lovely buildings, using nothing more than barrel after barrel of gunpowder.  And just because Guy Fawkes happened to be out for a leisurely stroll underneath the House of Parliament with the explosive stuff, he (along with Robert Catesby and the bakers' dozen) were captured, tortured, and then put to death.  While they were at it, as many other Catholics as could be rounded up were also tortured and put to death, just by association.  Aaah, good times, no?

All this just because Guy Fawkes wished to put an end to the virtual Catholic witch-hunt that went on in Britain for well over 150 years.  And in doing so, he ended up casting himself as a not very nice sort of fellow.  This is why every fifth of November Guy Fawkes is burned in effigy at barbeques, office parties, or wherever one goes to do such a thing.  It used to be that the pope was often interchanged with Mr. Fawkes, and burnt in his stead.  However, someone must have decided years ago that this was in extremely poor taste and it isn't done much anymore.  Yet the pope is still burned as part of the celebration in parts of Northern Ireland to this day.

But really, Catholics throughout the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries were not exactly highly revered in Britain.  Instead, King James I thought it best to seek them out, torture, execute, force them into bankruptcy, make public lessons out of them, toss them into the pokey, er, I mean gael, and so on.  In fact, being a priest at that time was basically a death sentence, and not a very nice death at that.  If you don't believe me then maybe you should pick up Francis Dolan's copy of Whores of Babylon: Catholicism, Gender, and Seventeenth-Century Print Culture.  And yes, the book is literally as fascinating as the title.  Another good one to read is Remember Remember the Fifth of November: Guy Fawkes and the Gunpowder Plot by James Sharpe.

But before you get to those two insightful books, might I suggest a bit of a celebration taken directly from the pages of The Bad Catholic's Guide to Good Living -- a superb publication, if I do say so myself.

Celebrate: While this day is not part of the Church's liturgical calendar, there's no reason we can't enjoy it -- albeit giving the holiday a bit of a twist.  Why not get the baking enthusiasts in your family (i.e., the girls) to make a House of Parliament out of gingerbread?  Find pictures of these Gothic buildings on the internet and make the best copy you can, lovingly adding details with icing, perhaps even forming a tiny King James I out of marzipan.  Unveil it at the outset of tonight's family dinner -- or at a gathering of friends.  As dinner unfolds, tell the story of Guy Fawkes and his friends.  Then for desert take the gingerbread parliament outside, stuff it with M-80 fireworks, and blow it to hell.

Happy Guy Fawkes Day!

*Taken from James Sharpe's book, Remember Remember the Fifth of November.
**The second photo was taken while we were wandering around York one day, oh, so long ago.  We got a nice long lesson from one of the Tour Guides at a church there.  (We also got a promise that we would not be bored while at said church, because they were cutting edge with drums, the rock and roll, and so on during the service.  Ummm, no thanks.)  Anyway, not the York Minster, but the one right behind it.  If I remember correctly, it is the church where Guy Fawkes's father had him baptized as an infant.  But he then proceeded to fall in with the wrong crowd while at school.  You know how it is.  Anyway, please correct me if I'm wrong.