Traditions involving fire - Topics

Jumping over a fire at midsummer and what it is meant to burn away Extinguishing every flame to light one new fire at Easter Seasonal solstice fires and the older logic behind midwinter parties A hearth fire that must never go out and must never be lent Torch festivals where whole villages carry fire down a mountain Bonfire night and the effigy that goes on top Circling the fire seven times to seal a marriage Harvest bonfires and the fireworks that replaced them An eternal flame that has to be relit by hand Lanterns and bonfires: marking the long autumn nights Walking barefoot over coals as a test of faith Open air cremation and the rules about who may light the pyre Trial by fire and how it was supposed to prove guilt The kitchen god who reports on the household once a year Who is allowed to light the campfire and who feeds it Candlelight vigils and how they replaced procession Smoke used to cleanse a house or a person