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Today, these activities are still carried out through captivating festivals, centered around rituals involving the burning of fires, torches, and candles to mark a special time of year, ward off unwelcome spirits, or welcome the new year with a fiery rebirth. Japan is particularly noteworthy in this area, hosting numerous fire festivals, some of which are as old as 1,400 to 1,600 years.
Held annually on the fourth Saturday of January in Nara, the capital of Nara Prefecture, Wakakusa Yamayaki is a fascinating fire festival – after a spectacular fireworks display, the grass on Mount Wakakusa is set ablaze, creating a "hell" visible from across the city. (Photo: Travel.co)
The prestigious American online travel magazine, Atlas Obscura, has selected and featured some of the world's most impressive fire festivals, helping travelers add them to their "must-visit" list for the beginning of 2022 when they have the chance. The most noteworthy include:
CAR FIRE FESTIVAL, JAPAN
Oto Matsuri (Oto Fire Festival) is an ancient festival with a history spanning over 1,400 years, and is one of the most vibrant and famous fire festivals in Japan. Associated with the ritual of purification and prayers for a bountiful harvest, the Oto Fire Festival is held annually on February 6th in Shingu City, Wakayama Prefecture, featuring a spectacular and impressive fire display.
Noborikos light torches, creating a swirling "river" of fiery red flames, likened to a dragon descending to earth, at the Oto Fire Festival in Japan. (Photo: Getty)
It is a spectacle where between 1,500 and 2,000 men dressed in white, known as Noboriko, carry torches lit from the sacred fire, running down the 538 stone steps of Kumano Hayatama Taisha Shrine. They create a swirling, fiery "river," likened to a dragon descending to earth. Since the Oto Fire Festival first took place, very few changes have been made, for example, the rule prohibiting women from going up the mountain on the day of the festival remains in place.
Kumano Hayatama Taisha is one of the three important shrines of Kumano (Shinto shrines dedicated to the three Kumano mountains: Hongu, Shingu, and Nachi). Kumano Hayatama Taisha shrine holds a significant place in Japanese mythology.
ONIYO FIRE FESTIVAL, JAPAN
The Oniyo Fire Festival of Daizenji Tamataregu Shrine in Kurume City, Fukuoka Prefecture, is a festivalTsuinaTo ward off evil spirits (the literal meaning of Tsuina is also "to ward off"). This tradition has been maintained by Daizenji Tamataregu Shrine for approximately 1,600 years, and is one of the three largest fire festivals in Japan.
The Oniyo Fire Festival takes place on January 7th every year. At 9 PM, a "devil's fire," which is guarded at the shrine, is passed to six giant torches, each 15 meters long and 1 meter in diameter. These giant torches are then carried around the shrine by men wearing traditional Shimekomi loincloths. Spectators and visitors are considered lucky if torch ashes fall on them.
Six giant torches are carried around Daizenji Tamataregu Shrine by a crowd of men wearing traditional Shimekomi loincloths during the Oniyo Fire Festival. (Photo: fravel.co)
LA QUEMA DEL DIABLO FESTIVAL, GUATEMALA
In Central America, Guatemalans celebrate the traditional festival La Quema del Diablo (“Burning of the Devil”) on December 7th each year in Guatemala City.
Traditionally dating back to the 18th century, La Quema del Diablo is the official festival marking the start of the Christmas season, with the belief that burning effigies of demons made of wood or paper will wash away the bad things of the past year. This ritual is meant to purify the process of the Virgin Mary's conception of Jesus, and to free Him from all evil.
The ritual of burning an “effigy of devil” to ward off evil is practiced during the La Quema del Diablo (Burning the Devil) Fire Festival in Guatemala City. (Photo: Getty)
Pottenstain Festival of Lights, Germany
The Pottenstain Festival of Light takes place annually on January 6th, with thousands of fires lit by local residents on the grassy slopes surrounding the town of Pottenstain in Bayreuth, Bavaria, Germany.
This tradition of illuminating the sky dates back over 100 years, marking the end of Eucharistic Adoration (a Eucharistic practice in Western Catholicism). In 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic, the Pottstain Light Festival attracted over 10,000 visitors.
The unique Pottenstain Festival of Lights features thousands of outdoor fires, lit by local residents on the hillsides surrounding the German town of Pottenstain. (Photo: Getty)
UP HELLY AA FIRE FESTIVAL, SCOTLAND
The "Up Helly Aa" Fire Festival is held annually from January to March in various communities across the Shetland Islands, located off the northeast coast of Scotland. The "Up Helly Aa" festivals mark the end of the Yule period (a winter season and religious festival). The most prominent is the largest "Up Helly Aa" Fire Festival, taking place on the last Tuesday of January in Lerwik, the capital of Shetland, attracting thousands of participants parading through the streets.
Each "Up Helly Aa" Fire Festival centers around a torchlight procession led by the Guizar Jarl squad. The Guizar Jarl is the main commander in this modern-day festival, leading a team of people dressed as Vikings (a general term for explorers, merchants, warriors, pirates, etc., from the Scandinavian peninsula during the Late Stone Age).
The highlight of the torchlight procession at the "Up Helly Aa" Fire Festival is the burning of a model Viking galley (a Viking warship of military importance in the 16th century). (Photo: Getty)
