This week there are two fire festivals taking place at almost the same time in different parts of the world and their meanings could not be further apart, but both are worth a conversation. Día de los Muertos takes place on November 1st and 2nd, and three days later, on November 5th, Britain lights bonfires for Guy Fawkes Night. In each case, the same tool–fire, held up against the dark–is doing two completely opposite jobs.