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Remember, remember, the 5th of November: Guy Fawkes Day in the UK (video)
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Guy Fawkes goes up in fire and fury
Bonfire Night. Cracker Night. Fireworks Night. Bonny Night.
All these monikers mean it's Guy Fawkes Day, a British celebration remembering a scandal when a guy named Guy (actually, his name was Guido) and a bunch of his martyr cohorts attempted to kill King James 1 (a protestant) and then blow up the British Houses of Parliament.
The plan failed.
This was back in the early 1600s, with the result being that Guy and his guys were burned in Lewes, England for their crimes.
A holiday came out of the crisis, where towns and villages all over the United Kingdom enjoy big bonfires and blasts of fireworks into the night.
They also dine on toffee apples, black peas in vinegar, and potato pie accompanied by pickled red cabbage.
That's tradition.
Not your thing? No worries.
We don't celebrate this British holiday in the U.S. but we do acknowledge it, if unwittingly. In fact, the Guy Fawkes mask is the one worn on the screen version of Alan Moore's V for Vendetta and it is also worn by anti-Scientologists protesters, each known simply as "Anonymous."
One more way we can identify with Guy: In Milton's Paradise Lost, the Satin character was based on this long ago criminal who inspired the Brits to come up with a holiday where they can play with fire.
And there you have it.
Oh, Happy Guy Fawkes Day!
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