What is a fire walking ceremony?

Sometimes the devotees or priests or oracles have to walk through a blazing log fire. Instead of embers from a wood fire, there may be red-hot stones (Fiji and Mauritius), or embers may be poured over the devotee’s head in a “fire bath,” or the devotee may lash himself with a flaming torch.

How is fire walking done?

Fire-Walking Theories Conduction is the transfer of heat from one substance to another via direct contact. Conduction is the main way heat is transmitted to a person’s feet during a fire walk. In fire walking, a person’s feet, which Willey said are also poor conductors, touch ash-covered coals.

What culture does firewalking?

Today, firewalking is performed in India, Greece, Spain, China, Japan, Bulgaria, Ceylon, Thailand, Fiji, Tibet, and many other parts of the world. The motivation for firewalking is nearly always a religious one.

What is the trick to walking on hot coals?

Coals that burn no hotter than 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit shouldn’t burn participants. But the trick is to make that walk snappy. Brief foot-to-coal contact is important. “It is neither necessary nor advisable to run, a brisk walk is reported to work best, with each step taking half a second or less,” Willey has written.

Does a firewalk hurt?

Will it hurt? The sensation is described by some as walking on eggshells, and others as walking on hot sand. Each walker has his or her own experience. We have not known walkers to experience pain and when the opportunity arises many will walk across the coals more than once.

Which country holds annual fire-walking ritual?

Greece
Glimpses of an Ancient Fire-Walking Ritual in Northern Greece. Each May in the small Greek village of Lagadas, a group of celebrants upholds a three-day tradition that incorporates a range of age-old rites. Burning coal is scattered on the floor in preparation for a fire-walking ceremony.

What is the purpose of fire walking?

Firewalking has been practiced by many people and cultures in all parts of the world, with the earliest known reference dating back to Iron Age India c. 1200 BC. It is often used as a rite of passage, as a test of an individual’s strength and courage, or in religion as a test of one’s faith.

What culture walks on hot coals?

Firewalking was popular in Ancient Greece and China, for rites of healing and shows of faith. It is used these days by Eastern Orthodox Christians in parts of Greece and Bulgaria during religious feasts. Tribes in Polynesia did it regularly until 1953, but it is occasionally still used ritualistically.

What does a fire walk feel like?

It felt cold to walk on hot coals Yet, it is very common for people to say that when they Firewalked it felt as if they were walking on snow. So, instead of feeling hot, some participants experience a feeling of cold and icy coals. The crunchiness of the embers makes it feel even more like walking on snow.

What do you wear to a firewalk?

Casual comfortable clothes are best. Please remember fires can be quite dirty and clothes may become ash stained. Footwear needs to be easy to remove, and will need to be replaced before going back indoors so a hand towel might be a good idea. Flip flops are a good idea, especially if the ground is cold.

What is a ritual ceremony?

A ritual is a ceremony or action performed in a customary way. As an adjective, ritual means “conforming to religious rites,” which are the sacred, customary ways of celebrating a religion or culture. Different communities have different ritual practices, like meditation in Buddhism, or baptism in Christianity.