In a happy coincidence, my friends in India are just celebrating Diwali just as we here in Britain are observing Guy Fawkes Day. What do they have in common, you ask? Firecrackers!
I don't know much about Guy Fawkes Day besides that it's mentioned in the movie V for Vendetta. (You know, "Remember, remember, the 5th of November.") I asked a British classmate who Guy Fawkes was and got the simple explanation, "The guy who tried to blow up Parliament."
"Oh," I said. "So you celebrate him?"
"No!" came the reply. "We burn him!"
"Every year?"
"Well, he tried to blow up Parliament!"
Apparently, besides lighting firecrackers, they build a large wooden statue of this chap and light him on fire on a yearly basis. The moral of the story is: don't p** off the British.
The festivities are planned for tomorrow night, and I'm certain to attend. In the meantime, I've already written about what it's like to celebrate with fireworks in the US, so here's a challenge to my Indian readers: if anyone has any great photos from Diwali that they'd like me to post (with proper crediting and a link to your own website, of course!) please do say so in the comments. And whichever holiday you celebrate, I hope it's a good one!
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