You've probably heard a good deal about the persecution of Catholics over the centuries in Britain—enough to realize that we're still pretty pissed off on the subject.

Throughout the 16th and much of the 17th century, Catholic priests were hunted down by secret police and tortured to death, and laymen executed, imprisoned, or bankrupted through ruinous fines by a viciously intolerant Protestant English government.

With the death of Queen Elizabeth I, and the accession of James I, English Catholics had reason to hope that the repression they suffered might be eased. After all, his wife was a Catholic, and he was the son of Mary Queen of Scots, who lost her throne and her life in large part because of her faith. James made ambiguous noises about suspending the slaughter of priests and prosecution of laymen.

They were quickly disappointed. Once James had consolidated his hold on the throne, he courted popularity among Protestants by continuing the persecution of Catholics—excepting only a few royal favorites.

As dinner unfolds, tell the story of Guy Fawkes—then for dessert take the gingerbread parliament outside, stuff it with M-80 fireworks, and blow it all to hell.

November 5th marks the day that some of those English Catholics decided to try biting back. On that date in 1605, the bold conspirators Guy Fawkes and Robert Catesby, along with a dozen or so of their friends—a group we might call Al-Chiesa—planned to blow up the English houses of Parliament, wiping out the entire political elite of the country, including the royal family, at one fell swoop. They then planned an uprising of Catholics across the country, intended to install a friendlier monarch on the throne.

The plan came achingly close to success, but was foiled at the last minute when one of the "friendly" lords whose life they tried to save by warning him snitched to the authorities. The conspirators were captured, tortured, and executed—and thousands of innocent, patriotic Catholics persecuted in the ensuing "war on terror."

To mark the occasion, English Protestants began to hold a bonfire on the anniversary of the plot's discovery, creating a stuffed effigy of Fawkes, and burning it festively this night, accompanying the flames with fireworks, drinking and general celebration. Sometimes instead of Fawkes they would burn the pope in effigy—a custom still popular in Northern Ireland.

CELEBRATE:

While this day is not part of the Church's liturgical calendar, there's no reason we can't enjoy it—albeit giving the holiday a bit of a twist. Why not get the baking enthusiasts in your family (i.e. the girls) to make a House of Parliament out of gingerbread? Find pictures of these exquisite gothic buildings on the Internet, and make the best copy you can, lovingly adding details with icing, perhaps even forming a tiny King James I out of marzipan. Unveil it at the outset of tonight's family dinner-or at a gathering of friends. As dinner unfolds, tell the story of Guy Fawkes and his friends—then for dessert take the gingerbread parliament outside, stuff it with M-80 fireworks, and blow it all to hell.