symbol

The article examines reasons for the popularity of Guy Fawkes, one of the key figures of the Powder Plot, in the XXI century. One can observe the evolution of collective ideas of Guy Fawkes over the past four centuries since his terrible execution. Based on the analysis of archaic rituals and mass behaviour, we put forward a hypothesis of the initially ambivalent nature of the "Guy Fawkes Night" celebration as a form of symbolic realization of taboo intentions.