if you're a Catholic, do you go to firework displays on Nov 5th?

[headfairy]

Just curious really, no real reason. But it seems to me that Catholics shouldn't really have anything to celebrate on 5th November. But then maybe it was all so long ago it's water under the bridge.

I work in a Catholic school and we are having a bonfire and fireworks display on Saturday.

I do. I wouldn't go to the Lewes one though I think.

we catholics are waaaay into forgiveness...

As a non uk national i find the whole thing weird once you go past the whole wheee fireworks level

however dd's catholic primary has been doing stuff about it, and she has been asked to bring in a pic of herself holding a sparkler so i guess no one does look past the wheee fireworks level anymore

I do. Our Catholic school has one. I wouldn't go to a pope burning (real or effigy). We have been emancipated now.

I went to a convent school when I was little - and this was in the sixties when there wasn't so much laissez-faire. The nuns always let us go home a bit early on Guy Fawkes' night to enjoy our fireworks.

I was and we did. But we felt guilty about it, of course.

Yes, always do.

Catholic or not, blowing up things and people is wrong. That is not the British way.

(Though I do feel sorry for Guy F. and his crew: horrible executions: poor things.)

I was brought up a Catholic too, and we've always gone to fireworks displays. I suppose the origins of the celebrations have been lost and it's just an excuse to have some fireworks and bangers and mash :o But I do remember my history teacher at (catholic) school telling us with much relish about how awful it was and how dreadful it was what was done to Fawkes and co-conspirators.

We can still celebrate the foiling of the gunpowder plot. I imagine they'd have been executed in the same style if they'd been CofE (although they may not have had the motivation to blow up parliament in the first place).

I would probably avoid the Lewes display, though, as it is expressly anti-Catholic.

Ok I feel thick, I have no idea why you would feel guilty about bonfire night, enlighten me somebody

whobuilttheark a quick history lesson

O ok I did know that, definitely water under the bridge! I don't think it's seen as a celebration but rather an event, if that makes sense? Thank you for the link though, twas like being at primary school again, those were the days...

I think it was more to do with the way Guy Fawkes was killed... the torture was rather gruesome apparently. But then, it was a rather gruesome time. But I think Catholics felt a bit hard done by after years of horrible bloody persecution. My old history teacher loved telling us all the gory bits. I think she was a bit odd tbh!

isn't there now a good case that Fawkes et al were stooges?

I used to be CofE and our church building was built in 1100, I distinctly remember sitting in the choir stalls when I was 10 and thinking 'shouldn't we give this church back and say sorry for killing the monks that lived here? No? As you were '.

Yes and we have a church bonfire party too...
oddly enough I don't actually approve of Guy Fawkes
plot to blow up parliament, despite being catholic

We have a church bonfire and fireworks evening. It is one of our key social events of the year - a great way to get our new university students integrated into the church family.

My partner and his friends used to have a 'Guy Fox was Right' party on 5th Nov (all very much tongue in cheek). Everything was the same as other bonfire and fireworks events except they didn't burn an effigy of Guy Fox. Ohh, and there was always lots of alcohol involved :)