5th of November
As we near the end of 2025, many of us prepare for the final stretch of holidays—Thanksgiving and Christmas… and well, some even add New Year’s to the mix. It seems that with every passing year, the window to make plans for those days keeps slipping from me more and more.
The other day, someone at work asked me what day of the week it was. I replied, “November 5th.” After a few exchanges, I looked up with a pensive expression, thinking, Where the heck have I heard that before? Then it hit me—it’s from the movie V for Vendetta (great movie, by the way). I was completely unaware of what the day actually meant or its historical significance: “Remember, remember the Fifth of November.”
“Remember, remember the Fifth of November” refers to Guy Fawkes Night, a British observance held every year. It commemorates the failure of the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. In the UK, some consider it a holiday; others simply celebrate it as Bonfire Night with fireworks and festivities.
The plot’s goal was to blow up the king and government during the State Opening of Parliament on November 5th—essentially to end Protestant rule by assassinating King James I and replacing him with a Catholic ruler. At the time, Catholics were heavily persecuted and faced many restrictions. For example, they were barred from holding office, fined for skipping Protestant church services, jailed, or even executed. When James I took power, many Catholics hoped he would ease these laws. Instead, he tightened them.
As a result, a group of Catholic conspirators stored barrels of gunpowder beneath the House of Lords. However, one accomplice—Guy Fawkes (more on him below)—was discovered guarding the explosives, which led to his arrest. He was tortured and later executed, and the entire plan fell apart. After the failed plot, Parliament declared November 5th a day of thanksgiving for the king’s survival.
Who Was Guy Fawkes?
Guy Fawkes was an Englishman from York who later became a soldier. He fought in several European battles on the Catholic side against Protestant armies. Over time, he gained significant military experience, especially in handling gunpowder and explosives—a skill that made him invaluable to the Gunpowder Plotters.
Fawkes joined a group of about a dozen Catholic conspirators who formed the plan to blow up the Houses of Parliament. Although he wasn’t the leader of the conspiracy, he played the most crucial operational role. Because of this, he became the face of the Gunpowder Plot.
Over the centuries, Fawkes transformed from being remembered as a traitor into a symbol of rebellion, resistance to oppression, and defiance of authority. His image—especially the stylized mask—lives on in modern culture through protests, activism, and works like V for Vendetta.
If you remember the famous rhyme (recited by the main character in V for Vendetta), it was created in remembrance of the 1605 plot. Although the movie is fictional, the poem is historically tied to the event:
Remember, remember, the Fifth of November,
Gunpowder, treason and plot.
I see no reason
Why gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot.
Diving into the history behind November 5th made me realize how much meaning hides behind the ordinary dates on our calendar. What started as a simple moment of confusion at work turned into a reminder of how stories—whether from history or pop culture—shape the way we understand the world. Maybe the lesson is pausing now and then to remember the things we tend to overlook. So while I may still lose track of the calendar as the holidays creep closer, at least now November 5th has a real place in my memory beyond just a movie reference. And who knows—maybe next year I’ll plan ahead a little better. But even if I don’t, I’ll definitely “remember, remember” a bit more than I did before.