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Culture and Tradition |
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The custom of leap of fire Fire, a basic factor of civilization: Fire means the inflammation of anything flammable. In Physics it is also called fast combustion which is expressed with flame and release of heat. The discovery of fire constitutes the greatest conquest and success of man in his cultural course. We can certainly say that this was a big step to man’s evolution, passing from the animal state into human. Since man realized that fire produces heat and that it could be useful for the improvement of his life conditions, he distinguished from the other animals. Fire existed always on earth as it is one of its components. Apart from the fervid womb of earth which makes its appearance through the volcanoes, fire never ceases to express itself in earth’s surface with fires that are caused by lightning or other causes. Only man thought to use the fire, turned it into a useful tool and began with its help to subjugate the nature: 1. The wild animals, by using it as a weapon 2. The cold, in order to heat firstly the cave and later the house 3. The hunger, preparing the food and making it more digestible and nutritious by baking or boiling it. 4. The difficulties of life, by creating various tools from the first earthen vessels to the most perfect instruments of today. Lighting of fire, fuels: The materials used by man for the lighting of fire are called fuels and they are various: solid, liquid and gaseous; natural such as timber, coal, anthracite, lignite, peat, oil, gas which exist in nature on their own and artificial such as charcoal, coke, and liquid gas. In the beginning, man used the natural fire from the environment; afterwards he caused it himself by rubbing timbers or striking stones (flints). Upon these two principles, friction and percussion, are also based all the next means that man used for the lighting of fire: the matches, the lighters etc. Until then, man maintained always the fire inextinguishably in the fireplaces and the hearths, as it is reported in the tradition. The fire in the religion and in the folklore : The power of fire makes it a basic factor of man’s civilization. Fire gives us firstly the light, becomes a motive force, and with its help man finds and processes the metals. However, it can also be destructive when escapes out of man’s control and can become a terrible weapon against the entire nature. This made man deify fire. The ancients, in almost all countries, felt respect for the fire. The fire-worship had been a religion that almost all the populations met in their primitive steps. The Sun and the Moon were everywhere worshipped as gods. Deities Agne and Mithras of populations of the East, were personifications of light and fire. Our ancestors had connected the fire with a lot of deities. Hephaestus was worshipped in all parts of Greece, as god of fire; also goddess Estia (Hearth) as goddess of fire of the house, and the Estjades who were in charge to holily maintain unquenchable the fire in many sanctuaries, such as the Apollo’s in the Delphi, Athena’s, Demetra’s, Zeus’s in Athens and in other parts. Apart from that, Estjades were at risk of a big punishment in case they left the fire to extinguish. However, as main gods they worshipped Zeus with his lightnings and Hephaestus. The ancient populations considered fire as a tremendous element, of divine origin, that caused awe. They attributed in this a magic force. The Ancient Greeks paid particular adoration to the fire and moulded the most beautiful, the most powerful in heroism and the richest in content fable of the world: the fable of Prometheus, who stole the fire from Zeus and brought it to the people. Certain ancient writers reach to the point to consider Prometheus, no simply a benefactor, but creator of the human race. Others support that Prometheus might not be a creator, was however, the one that gave man the ability of living. Proportional perceptions and religious adoration had also the Romans. In addition, according to the Mosaic Law, the Jews maintained "unquenchable fire" in the altar of the holocausts. At the Middle Ages and with the predominance of Christianity, the religious adoration of fire disappeared. However, the fire was kneaded so much with the intellectual superstructure of man, so that it also constitutes an element of our current religion. With flames is expressed the blessing of Apostles from the Holly Spirit, cressets and candles burn in front of the pictures of our Saints. As long as for our Folklore, from the ancient years it is full of fire-worship elements, residues of ancient perceptions, that continue surviving also in our time, with the the so called “Anastenaria” (walking on burning coals), with the crisscross burning of the outdoor lintels of the houses, with the resurrectional candles and with the big fires in various feasts, such as the St John of Lampadjaris on 24 June. On the eve of St John’s birthday, people light fires and men and women of all ages leap over them. In our village, we have the same custom of leaping fires on the evening of 31st of July, in order to take leave of July or Alonaris, as it is called because it gives us the wheat, the bread, the base of our diet, and we welcome in August, which brings us the figs, the walnuts and miller’s prosperity, as people take their goods for grinding to the watermills. It is said that this custom was also used during the Byzantine years and it symbolizes the renewal and the continuity of human life which flame is transmitted without interruption from generation to generation. As a custom, it has been preserved since the very old years. In the ancient years, the Egyptians, the Greeks, the Asians and the Romans lustrated symbolically children in water, in wine or in fire. Thus, we feel purified and exempted from any illnesses of body and soul, we welcome a month full of fruits, and we continue the leap of fire, which flame symbolizes the irrepressible force for creation. "He/She has a flame inside ", we say for anyone who is ablaze for action and creation; the poet Kostis Palamas names it "Creative fire ". [ TOP ] Our own custom: On the 31st of July, we turn on three fires in regular distance one from the other and both young and old people jump over singing: "August, Paraygoustos, with figs with grapes and with the miller’s..... walnuts ". As we said, we bid farewell to July and welcome August, a month of creation, so much in nature as much in life. However, it is not known when or how this custom began in our village. In any case, for certain years, making the start by the family of Kyriakos Tyrologos and with the help of the rest of the residents of our village which is called Small Kazaviti or Parahora or Papaz Mahal, because during Ottoman occupation it was said that it had a lot of priests (twenty roughly), the custom of the leap of fire revived, and blossomed into a beautiful custom that we all wait for, happily, every year on July 31. In the old days however, people jumped over the fires and shouted: "Get away fleas and bugs, greet the golden grape ", Therefore, they believed that with the leap of fire, soul purgation takes place and thus people exempted from every evil, enter healthy and clean in the new period that begins. They believed that August is a purgatory month where also begins the fast of Dekapentavgoustos (middle August). The habit of leap of fire aims in the renewal and the aid of our health. According to our population beliefs, the fire is force and as a force aims in the purgation, the health, the subsistence and the rejuvenation. Thus, from the eve of 31st of July, the landladies used to wash, wipe, dust and whitewash the cobble-stone courtyards; they also used to uphold the “brows” round the yard tiles. The other day they turned on three fires in the crossroads and jumped three times saying: "August, Paravgoustos with figs with walnuts etc”. In addition, in the old days, they used to cook in the fire a garlic, take the cloves, “louvja”, and eat it in order to to stay away from any fever disease. Afterwards, they used to leave the fires to extinguish, gather the ash and scatter it above in the fig trees in order to help the trees preserve their fruit. This always happened the next day, which is on the 1st of August. August, with the grapes, the figs and the many vegetables, with the income from the sale of the rich harvest summer, is eulogized in the proverbs of our population as a rich month: "August, my good month, I wish you were twice a year". However, eating a lot of vegetables and fruits often becomes dangerous for the health, and for this a Byzantine proverb says: "about your health, ask August". This means that no one is sure for his health, if he does not pass unaffected from an illness in August. Often, cold weather begins untimely and for this we say: "from August starts winter..." 1st of August is also considered as the beginning of a new time period, and for this people welcome the month from its eve, as we also make today. Of course in Mitilini, perhaps and elsewhere, the population believe that the skies open during the night of 31st July and many stay up. It is said that if you wish for something, it will come true, (wealth, health, fields...) The morning of 1st of August in Thassos and in various parts of Greece, people eat red cornel berries before breakfast, in order to be robust and florid, a sign of health for the entire year. The 1st of August is also the beginning of the fast of the “middle August” for the feast of Virgin Mary. It is also the beginning of "merominia", which is the weather forecast by weather observations which take place during the first 6 or 12 days of August. In the old days, people observed the weather of each day and from this they made conclusions for the weather of the month which corresponded to each day. August, however, the good month, is called “trapezoforos”, as they say in Nisyros island, because it fills the table and the abdomen; it also has its opposite aspect, as in the old days it presented elevation in the fevers of malaria, in the intestinal disturbances of summertime etc, for this is also considered, as a disease-month. Therefore, we preserve this custom of leap of fire, to farewell and honour July, to welcome August for his abundance and vividness. I believe that I tried to give you a thorough explanation for this custom. Smaro Gioldasi - Tsirtavi (Retired) Teacher [ TOP ] [ Homepage ] [ Image map ] [General Info] [History] [VIllages] [Customs & manners] |
