Guy Fawkes Day

The beginning of November always has me thinking of Guy Fawkes.  My older son grew attached to the movie "V for Vendetta" and even became the lead character one year for Halloween.  We're studying the early modern period of history this year and are right in the middle of the time period of Protestant rebellions, Thirty Years' War, etc.  So here, with my apologies to all Catholic readers, is the traditional British version of the poem that commemorates the Gunpowder Plot:

Guy Fawkes Day Poem
Traditional British
 
Remember, remember, the 5th of November
The Gunpowder Treason and plot ;
I know of no reason why Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot.
Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes,
'Twas his intent.
To blow up the King and the Parliament.
Three score barrels of powder below.
Poor old England to overthrow.
By God's providence he was catch'd,
With a dark lantern and burning match
Holloa boys, Holloa boys, let the bells ring
Holloa boys, Holloa boys, God save the King!
Hip hip Hoorah !
Hip hip Hoorah !
A penny loaf to feed ol'Pope,
A farthing cheese to choke him.
A pint of beer to rinse it down,
A faggot of sticks to burn him.
Burn him in a tub of tar,'
Burn him like a blazing star.
Burn his body from his head,
Then we'll say: ol'Pope is dead.

And here's a Time article related to the history of Guy Fawkes Day:

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1856603,00.html

This article talks about Brits hanging onto their grudges, LOL.  Being of primarily British (Scottish, Irish) descent, I can totally relate!  People in the area where I grew up continued to espouse strong Protestant rhetoric long after they ceased to remember where their ideas about religion even came from.  Even those whose families had fallen away from church attendance still were often strongly Protestant in their viewpoints.... 

Thinking about the long-standing hard feelings that were generated by this split within the Christian church helps me make the point about the long-standing hard feelings between various other cultural and religious groups around the world that we see still being played out today.