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Re: Gunpowder, treason, and plot
Posted By: Mel, on host 168.212.239.2
Date: Thursday, October 18, 2001, at 15:33:44
In Reply To: Gunpowder, treason, and plot posted by Matthew on Thursday, October 18, 2001, at 09:03:38:

> Remember, remember, the fifth of November...
>
> Most of you non-British forum readers might not know what on earth I'm going on about, so I'll tell you.

Ooh! I'm a non-Brit and I knew what you were talking about. I read about Guy Fawkes Day a couple of months ago and I thought it sounded like just about the coolest holiday I had ever heard of. I've even toyed with the notion of celebrating it myself. Burning bonfires to commerate a few nutters' failed attempt to blow up the Parliament Building! Why, it sounds like more fun than Secretary's Week! Granted, it'd be difficult to persuade my other countrymen that GF Day would be a worthwhile event. After all, we've already got one major holiday being celebrated within a week's span; we already have a holiday that incorporates fireworks, fun, and treason against the Crown, too. It still sounds like a smashing good time, though.

> On the fifth of November, we celebrate Guy Fawkes' (or maybe Fawke's) Night, or Bonfire Night to save time worrying about spelling. It's a wonderful event, with fireworks and toffee apples and candyfloss and a huge fire. And burning people at the stake.
>
> On the fifth of November, *mumble*teen-hundred and *cough*, a group of people tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament. Guy was one of them, and was somewhat unfortunately caught in the act and executed. Since then, we have celebrated it by burning him in effigy. Hence the huge fire and explosion-based tomfoolery.
>
> Now, that's all well and good, right? Well, most Brits probably haven't given it much thought. But we will be celebrating a failed terrorist attack on one of our national monuments. It will be interesting to see how firework sales are affected this year.

Well, like wintermute said, you're celebrating the fact that it's a _failed_ terrorist attack. That sounds like a pretty good reason for you guys (no pun intended?) to celebrate it all the more this year.

> Matthew

M"Don't even get me started on being the only major Anglicized nation in the world to not celebrate Boxing Day"el

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