In these politically correct, multi-cultural times, it does seem rather odd that once a year we set fire to millions of dollars worth of fireworks to celebrate the failure of a Catholic plot to blow up the British protestant king and his Parliament way back in 1605.
These days, opponents of fireworks night fuss about the effect it has on their poor pets. But for centuries it was the Catholics who had to shutter themselves inside from the explosive majority who were outside burning effigies of the evil pope and bomb-maker, Guy Fawkes. They were getting into the spirit of the "Observance of 5th November Act" which had been passed soon after the plot was unmasked.
The 1605 law created a public holiday, enforcing compulsory attendance at church services of thanksgiving, where the mob were incited by inflammatory sermons about the evils of popery. This was followed by a night of fireworks and bonfires and, no doubt, much bad behaviour.
As a kid back in the middle of last century, I remember a big bonfire being built over several days in the empty section down our street as neighbours dragged out broken furniture, timber off-cuts and tree branches from the surrounding houses. Then everyone turned up with crackers and rockets - and no doubt booze, to mark the occasion. There was even a home-made guy or two tossed into the flames, but I don't recall any Catholics being added to the pile.
The British still bonfire away with great gusto, but I suspect we're the last of the old colonies to persevere. The Americans had a revolution and decided that was more worthy of annual fireworks. In 1980, across the Tasman, the Northern Territorians did the same, after finally being granted self-government from Canberra. They officially changed cracker night to "independence day" July 1.
