Why are we still celebrating Guy Fawkes, an English criminal from way back? Is it not time to move on and leave Britain's past for England to remember.

Of course fireworks are pretty and fun, but they are also dangerous and unnecessary and have a serious and damaging effect on animals.

Ban the sale of fireworks to the public altogether, discontinue Guy Fawkes' Day, and only have public displays of fireworks in New Zealand on New Year's Eve. And now ‘Black Friday' - an American merchandising racket indeed; NZ could never reduce the price of commercial goods to the level which the USA does on this day, we just don't have the population or turnover.

So let's not copy the States on this one, or indeed with Halloween, which in this country is merely first-world children going begging door-to-door for sugar-laden treats they don't need, with very little idea of why they are doing it.

Instead, let's start some more New Zealand traditional days, and commemorate our own beautiful country and history with our families and friends and neighbours.

J MacIntyre, Pahoia.