"Public" Holidays and Ideas

Greetings,

Five days until the fifth of November. In years past it was a day celebrated, recognised, now forgotten. Used to celebrate "Bonfire Night" as a child in Canberra, I did not know the significance. I thought it was a local thing and did not think much of it when it did not happen in Queensland. This day has been moved along with firework bans and so forth, faded from our calendar. Maybe, this day, should be celebrated, now more than ever.

Our public holidays are mandated by our Parliaments, both State and Federal, they decide how many days we should have off and when; more importantly they decide the reason for the holidays, and what reasons are important enough to mark on our calendars as important. Through this method they exert social control; they decide what is important to us and what is not.

Halloween was not particularly popular in Australia previously, there were some families and groups that celebrated it. Now, it has become a $430 million dollar industry, which is likely the reason that it is now encouraged, or at least not discouraged. There are those who are saying: its not "traditionally" Australian; its all pagan and not Christian so it shouldn't be celebrated; or that it is an American tradition, so its their culture having an impact on ours. There are those who will complain, but it will still occur.

Guy Fawkes Night, or Bonfire Night, as it is often called, that one has been buried, or at least it was mostly buried until "V for Vendetta" reminded people of the date, reminded them of the importance of that date and started making people think about it. Here is a day which used to be celebrated, especially by members of the Commonwealth, for its significance, now it has gone, disappeared from the official calendars. In our current age, it is probably thought of as too rebellious, or has the potential to cause issues with children; even some will believe that we should not be celebrating the life of a terrorist.

Guy Fawkes was technically a traitor and a terrorist, or at least he would have been the second if he had succeeded. The act of blowing up the houses of parliament would have been an act of terror, especially with the members present. It would have caused not only destruction but also death, for a political purpose, certainly a terrorist act by any definition a person would like to call it. So what is Guy Fawkes Night celebrating?

Does it celebrate the life or the death of Guy Fawkes? Or maybe it celebrates something different? The night with bonfires and fireworks commemorates the failure of the Gunpowder Plot i.e., the failure to kill the king. In this way the official reason for Guy Fawkes Night is a pro-establishment, pro-monarchy celebration, as it was the prevention of the killing of King James I and the Parliament. One would think that on this basis it would be a good celebration to have on the calendar, however since the 2005 film "V for Vendetta" the idea has been changed.

The question is has this idea changed for the better or not? Now, thanks to the film, the idea has changed to focus on the idea that Guy Fawkes had, and the fact that his idea lived on longer than he did. Ideas live longer than the people that have them; we are still using the ideas of people who have been dead for hundreds, sometimes thousands, of years. The question is what was the idea that Guy Fawkes was promoting, that should be remembered? It is the idea that Guy Fawkes stood for, that he died for, the idea that ideas persist; of course, most take these ideas to be anti-establishmentarian in nature.

What will you do when November the 5th rolls around? Let me leave you with the famous folk verse...

Remember, remember!
The fifth of November,
The Gunpowder treason and plot;
I know of no reason
Why the Gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot!
Guy Fawkes and his companions
Did the scheme contrive,
To blow the King and Parliament
All up alive.
Threescore barrels, laid below,
To prove old England's overthrow.
But, by God's providence, him they catch,
With a dark lantern, lighting a match!
A stick and a stake
For King James's sake!
If you won't give me one,
I'll take two,
The better for me,
And the worse for you.
A rope, a rope, to hang the Pope,
A penn'orth of cheese to choke him,
A pint of beer to wash it down,
And a jolly good fire to burn him.
Holloa, boys! holloa, boys! make the bells ring!
Holloa, boys! holloa boys! God save the King!
Hip, hip, hooor-r-r-ray!

Cheers,

Henry. 

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