Okay, most of you can start a friction or percussion fire now, so what do you then do with it? The solstice is approaching and it's time to begin planning my next New Fire Ceremony. The most ancient tradition is to lite one's home hearth and keep it going. I perpetuate a special fire in my home's hearth, the water heater pilot. Daily I make use of my fire the same way as our ancient ancestors did; cooking, heating, lighting, crafting. My current gas cooking stove unfortunately has an electric pilot but I often instead transfer the flame from my water heater pilot to the stove for cooking those special candlelight dinners, as well as for straightening my firesticks or bending bowsticks. Often I have a lamp at my bedside, which is of course lit with my hearth. For my next New Fire I figure I'll go out into the bush as usual to prepare two sticks to rub together back home. Or I might go all the way and carry an ember from my bushcamp back home to my hearth. I'd like to know what other's do.
New Fire Ceremony
- Thread starter Ivan
- Start date
-
Hey Guest, Early bird pricing on the Summer Moot (29th July - 10th August) available until April 6th, we'd love you to come. PLEASE CLICK HERE to early bird price and get more information.
This is an ancient tradition that I wish I could keep up. Unfortunately, the closest my modern home has to a continued fire is the live electricity mains that then power sparks to light gas heating on demand. There's little mysticism around turning off my mains switch and on again on the solstice.
Well done for keeping up traditions.
Well done for keeping up traditions.
Does dancing nekkid round a bonfire down in the pasture by the creek count?
And sometimes we even get the full moon to coincide with the solstice.
I heat my home with wood, and by the time of the solstice, I will have a somewhat permanent fire going in the wood stove. And the fire will be in continuous use until well into spring and the equinox. So my ... fire ... is within 15 feet of me at most times.
Mikey - that grumpy ol' German blacksmith out in the Hinterlands
And sometimes we even get the full moon to coincide with the solstice.
I heat my home with wood, and by the time of the solstice, I will have a somewhat permanent fire going in the wood stove. And the fire will be in continuous use until well into spring and the equinox. So my ... fire ... is within 15 feet of me at most times.
Mikey - that grumpy ol' German blacksmith out in the Hinterlands
Traditionally the solstice fires are lit with no metal having been involved at all..........that's in the production of the tools that make the bow and hearth as well as no iron strikers........so there's a challenge 
cheers,
Toddy
cheers,
Toddy
Thanks for the ideas and encouragement. I envy Mikey for having such a traditional hearth. Thanks Toddy for the info which I did not know. I have a complete bowdrill set crafted to the proper specifications, 100% Stoneage technology. Hopefully I'll get a good holiday photo.
Well I keep the festival of Yule (21st of Dec in Northen Hemisphere) and the tradition of the Yule log (not the hideous chocolate confection! ). In my house this year's fire will be lighted with the remains of last year's log, as we always do. I must admit I didn't know about the metal thing, Toddy, so I will have to modify my firelighting technique!!
). In my house this year's fire will be lighted with the remains of last year's log, as we always do. I must admit I didn't know about the metal thing, Toddy, so I will have to modify my firelighting technique!!Speaking of fire and tradition - has anyone been to the Beltane Fire Festival in Edinburgh? I would really like to go to that.
Traditionally the solstice fires are lit with no metal having been involved at all..........that's in the production of the tools that make the bow and hearth as well as no iron strikers........so there's a challenge
cheers,
Toddy
Is that a tradition going back as far as William Stukeley or is it actually an old one..
I attended a May Day festival when I was a brat. Although I doubt the bonfire was started using traditional methods. This morning I had a little Beltane rehearsal. A traditional dish served were Beltane cakes or bannock. We call them pancakes here. I cooked them over my last new fire started on Halloween.
Is that a tradition going back as far as William Stukeley or is it actually an old one..
Who is Stukeley ?
My Grandpa lit the fire that way on Mayday, that generation would never have called it Beltane.........the Kirk would never have approved.
Cheers,
Toddy.........off to google
Ah, I see, no.........I think it's older than Stukeley, I know I've seen it recorded in one of the tours of the Hebrides sort of books and I think it's also mentioned as a very old practice in the new statistical accounts.
No iron to make the Beltane fires.
cheers,
M
No iron to make the Beltane fires.
cheers,
M
Does the iron thing have anything to do with the various faerie legends in the British Isles? You know, that faeries despise iron and won't touch it/go near it?
Wild
Wild
That sounds right Wilding, it could be to do with not driving away the good spirits
I don't have the luxury of an open fire all year round, my cooker is electric and I have to use a paraffin heater to keep warm. Gas is too expensive.
I do have a Yule ceremony, on the Full moon nearest the 21st. The tradition is for the full moon, not the date.
In ye olde times, most people didn't have a calendar, they told the date through the moon, the 21st is just a conveniently rough guidepost to when the moon is full.
I light the fire with friction, burn last years log and then have a bit of a party with cakes and drink! (Its much better than Christmas) At midnight we hang charms from the tree at the end of the garden to bring luck for the next year.
Yes, that is where the Christmas tree comes into the Christian belief system.
Before Christianity, people would go out into the forest and hang charms, poppets and food from a special tree to bring good luck, find lost ones and bring back the summer. Christianity, having a hard time gaining a foothold in Britain decided to adopt the local practises and dating into its dogma, there by enforcing itself on people who were quite happy with the religion that they already had. That is why the major Christian festivals conviently fall on or near the Pagan ones, and why the Christian festivals contain rites and traditions which have nothing whatsoever to do with what is written in the bible.
Don't get me started on Festivals and the Christians...
Ps, William Stukeley... I reserve judgement although Rose tinted comes to mind, and typical Victorian idealist.
I don't have the luxury of an open fire all year round, my cooker is electric and I have to use a paraffin heater to keep warm. Gas is too expensive.
I do have a Yule ceremony, on the Full moon nearest the 21st. The tradition is for the full moon, not the date.
In ye olde times, most people didn't have a calendar, they told the date through the moon, the 21st is just a conveniently rough guidepost to when the moon is full.
I light the fire with friction, burn last years log and then have a bit of a party with cakes and drink! (Its much better than Christmas
) At midnight we hang charms from the tree at the end of the garden to bring luck for the next year.Yes, that is where the Christmas tree comes into the Christian belief system.
Before Christianity, people would go out into the forest and hang charms, poppets and food from a special tree to bring good luck, find lost ones and bring back the summer. Christianity, having a hard time gaining a foothold in Britain decided to adopt the local practises and dating into its dogma, there by enforcing itself on people who were quite happy with the religion that they already had. That is why the major Christian festivals conviently fall on or near the Pagan ones, and why the Christian festivals contain rites and traditions which have nothing whatsoever to do with what is written in the bible.
Don't get me started on Festivals and the Christians...
Ps, William Stukeley... I reserve judgement although Rose tinted comes to mind, and typical Victorian idealist.
Have you ever seen those little votive lights that christians sometimes have burning in front of their sacred pictures, the little bowl with a nightlight candle and a coloured glass cover? Those nightlight candles burn for eight hours. That would be a way for people living in houses without a hearth to keep in touch with the eternal flame. You light the new candle from the one that is about to go out.
Keeping a flame alive is a good way of reminding ourselves that we don't rule the universe, for all that we are clever little tailless monkeys.
I've started my new fire already, on December 19. My father's birthday. You know how it is. Birthday being so close to Xmas, we celebrate both at the same time. I lost dear Dad 3 years ago. Ancestor worship = pyromancy. I crafted a bowdrill set of native materials using only stone tools. Actually, it was an easy fire. Or maybe it was his spirit helping me? Either way, I felt the magic. Thanks Toddy. My shrine is private and the new bowdrill set is much like the one pictured. So I'll recycle the earlier photo. In the new set the bow is smaller, 10 inches. For cordage this time I used yucca (Yucca whipplei) fiber. Great improvement over nettle fiber. A speck of sulfur on the ember started a flame. This saved making a mess with a bunch of tinder in my apartment. Careful you don't breathe any sulfur fumes or you'll join 'em. I lit my gas wall heater pilot to perpetuate my new fire. Good fortune through Springtime is assured.
Happy Birthday Dad.
Happy Solstice, Yule Time, Xmas, Hanukka, or whatever,
Everyone!
http://s282.photobucket.com/albums/kk263/ivan90254/?action=view¤t=sacredfire.jpg
Happy Birthday Dad.
Happy Solstice, Yule Time, Xmas, Hanukka, or whatever,
Everyone!
http://s282.photobucket.com/albums/kk263/ivan90254/?action=view¤t=sacredfire.jpg
i was going to pootle down to glastonbury tomorrow because they have a fire ceremony at the chalice well, but what with the cost of fuel being like it is....
So instead, i am going to wrap up warm and head out to a nice spot with some tealights to 'make pretend' that i have a fire! Might have a wee forage about to see if there are any edibles, or watch for foxes, deer etc...
So instead, i am going to wrap up warm and head out to a nice spot with some tealights to 'make pretend' that i have a fire! Might have a wee forage about to see if there are any edibles, or watch for foxes, deer etc...
...the tradition of the Yule log (not the hideous chocolate confection!
Ooo...you should try the M&S one. It's bloody lovely.
Doesn't exclude copper/bronze tools for making your bowdril set
Yes, it's only a matter of taste really. Using the pocket knife my grandfather gave me when I was a kid would also have been nice. Did that. Grandad's spirit was quite proud. At least in my imagination.
Similar threads
