The unfortunate Fawkes was only one of a group with some grudge against James I, the grouchy Scot brought in to take over when Bess died. And wouldn't you know it, it's the Catholics' turn again, so now it's the turn of the Protestants to get repressed... or was it the Catholics who were angry, about not getting a fair crack of the whip when they finally had their own man in charge again? Probably both. you just can't please people.
Anyway - Fawkes and his pals decided to do away with the whole ruling force with the aid of a cellar full of gunpowder, thereby providing us with an excuse to set fireworks off every November ever since.
The religious and political motivations behind the whole deal are now so vague in the popular memory - well, mine at least - that it just proves that what people really want is an excuse for a party, which is why it's a waste of time telling us heretics that we shouldn't celebrate Christmas if we don't believe in Jesus... after all, if there's one thing people like better than a party it's presents.
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