This Being Guy Fawkes Day Across the Pond

I just thought I’d post a little reminders about how much Calvinist Puritanism sucked:

Chesterton was perfectly right. “In America,” he said, “they have a feast to celebrate the arrival of the Pilgrims. In England, we should have a feast to celebrate their departure.”

The good thing about Guy Fawkes Day these days is that nobody really remembers what its about and its just an occasion for firecrackers and having a good time. It’s sort of curious how history has a way of buffing off the hard edges of tragedy and horror and turning old historical bitternesses into children’s games. This seems to be one of the odd features of Christian civilization at it’s best. Some ghastly martyrdom like St. Lucy’s get turned into an occasion for holiday treats and some horrible death like St. Lawrence’s becomes an occasion for jokes (“Turn me over. I’m done on this side now.”). I wonder if other cultures do this?