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

Ironically, I completely forgot. Yesterday was Guy Fawkes Night in England. I had occasionally heard of the obscure (to me) celebration and knew that it had to do with something or other. That was about the extent of the effort I was willing put into resolving the mystery.

Last week I (finally) saw the movie V for Vendetta. The movie is based on the graphic novel of the same name by Alan Moore, and it was one of the most subversive movies I’ve ever seen. The movie, set in the near future, takes place in a totalitarian UK that is ruled in a near constant state of fear. It includes dialog like, “People shouldn’t fear their government. Governments should fear their people.” Do you cheer for the terrorism that follows or not? The hero/protagonist of the movie, V, wears a stylized Guy Fawkes mask throughout the movie, and his true identity is not revealed. Finally, I had an impetus to find out who Guy Fawkes was and why there was a night named after him. And what was that poem that was repeated in the movie all about?

If you don’t know: It turns out that Guy Fawkes Night is the celebration of the failed “Gunpowder Plot” in 1605 by Guy Fawkes and other Catholic conspirators. The plan was to end Protestant rule by blowing up Parliament while King James I and key members of the aristocracy were inside. It didn’t pan out. Fawkes was then gruesomely executed. Naturally, the occasion is marked annually by huge bonfires, fireworks displays, and burning “guys” in effigy. Also, there is a poem.

According to an article in The New York Times yesterday, Guy Fawkes Night is becoming a dull occasion due to increasingly restrictive health and safety laws that limit bonfires, fireworks displays, and other collective fun. These laws make civic displays, including such potentially threatening acts as hanging Christmas lights, unworkable for small towns and other cash-strapped municipalities. A rugby club celebrated Guy Fawkes Night by watching a movie of a bonfire from a few years back. Good times. The People are becoming annoyed. Sounds like they need to watch the movie.

I do still remember The Maine and the Alamo.

Update: Oddly, Republican candidate for President, Ron Paul - of the US - had a Guy Fawkes themed fund raising effort that yielded the third highest single day total of all candidates (behind only Hillary and Obama). Weird. (Thanks for the link, Chris.)

Update 2: More on the “Guy Fawkes Candidate” here. The fund raising campaign included a clip from a speech where Mr. Paul declared, “The true patriot challenges the state when the state embarks on enhancing its power at the expense of the individual” and “The American Republic is in remnant status,” he says. “The stage is set for our country eventually devolving into military dictatorship, and few seem to care.” The article helpfully clarifies, “Mr. Paul did not support blowing up government buildings.” As part of your preparation for the next election, check out the movie if you haven’t seen it. (Thanks again, Chris.)

Update 3: Ed also forgot the Fifth of November, but he has posted a clip from the movie.