No stranger to fiery celebrations (there are 3 major ones alone), Japan is also home to the Oniyo Fire Festival which takes place at the at the Daizenji Tamataregu Shrine. Diwali lamps and lanterns are now lit all over India (and in many countries in the northern hemisphere). Their return home is said to have been met with the lighting of the lamps in all the kingdom.
![fire man festival fire man festival](https://cdn.images.dailystar.co.uk/dynamic/122/photos/52000/900x738/1063052.jpg)
For many, Diwali represents the return of the gods Rama and Sita to the ancient city of Ayodhya, following years of exile and fighting again the evil demon Ravana. The Hindu Festival of Lights, Diwali takes place every year in autumn and is one of the most significant celebrations in the Indian calendar. The fires can be seen from all over the nearby city of Nara and its surrounding parks. Today the celebrations begin by lighting a bonfire at the foot of the mountain, followed by a fireworks display, after which the mountain is set on fire. The origins of the “mountain roast” are a little unclear possibly resulting from a quarrel over land, possibly a way to drive away troublesome wild boar. Wakakusa Yamayaki, or the Mountain Burning Festival, is a spectacular event where the dead grass of the extinct Mount Wakakusa volcano is set alight every year. Burning Man soon moved to Black Rock Desert, where an emphasis on survival camping began and is still a key element of the festival today, even as it now draws in over 550,000 people a year. First beginning in 1986 as an improvised wooden statue, burnt on the San Francisco Baker beach on the Summer Solstice by a couple of friends, the ‘burning man’ soon became an annual event until local police put a stop to the fires. Perhaps the most famous fire festival of all, Burning Man in Black Rock City, Nevada, is a temporary desert metropolis of community, art and self-expression. The 5-day street festival is the highlight of Barcelona’s calendar, taking place at the end of September and held in honour of the patron saint of the Catalan city. With roots in tradition dating back to the 14th century, the Barcelona edition began as a Show of Fantastical Beasts in 1979. Groups of people dress up as devils and dragons, wielding sparklers and setting off fireworks in the streets, all to the delight of the crowds. Part of Barcelona’s annual La Mercè Festival, the Correfoc (or ‘fire run’) is actually a regular at many Spanish festivals, although the country’s capital is by far one of the biggest.
![fire man festival fire man festival](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/oTmkjeS9Um0/hqdefault.jpg)
Lewes takes things one step further with costume parades and giant (often politically themed) ‘guys’ that all go up in smoke at the end of the evening. Despite only really being the logistics guy, Fawkes was the one caught red-handed, and since then his effigy has be burned on bonfires across the country. This annual celebration marks the failed attempt of the Gunpowder Plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament, assassinate the Protestant King James I of England and replace him with a catholic head of state. This little town in Sussex, south England, has a big reputation for putting on a show every 5th November and has been nicknamed the ‘bonfire capital of the world’. In the run up to Bonfire Night this weekend, we take a look at some of the biggest and best fire festivals across the world.īonfire Night, or Guy Fawkes Night, may be celebrated around the UK but nowhere does it better than Lewes.