Editing Fire (section)

==In culture==
[[File:Injak bara.jpg|right|thumb|A [[firewalking]] ceremony]]
Fire has been an importance element of human culture since the [[Lower Paleolithic]].<ref>{{cite journal | title=The Effects of Fire in Human Life and in the Cuisine from the Paleolithic to the Modern Age | first=Abdullah | last=Badem | journal=Journal of Ecohumanism | year=2024 | volume=3 | issue=6 | pages=269–293 | doi=10.62754/joe.v3i6.4002 }}</ref> Archaeological evidence demonstrates that [[fire worship]] has been widely practiced since [[prehistory]], with dedicated structures found dating from at least the [[Chalcolithic]] period. [[Zoroastrianism]] originated from this practice.<ref>{{cite journal | title=Ancient Bacterian Bronze Age fire worship | first=Komil Akramovich | last=Rakhimov | journal=Research Journal of History | volume=2 | issue=5 | pages=71–77 | doi=10.37547/history-crjh-02-05-17 }}</ref> In some societies [[List of fire deities|fire was a deity]], while others viewed it as the [[theophany|manifestation of the divine]].<ref name=Pyne_2016/> The fire in a [[hearth]] was perceived as symbolic of the Heavenly Fire, and thus is considered a sacred component by fire worshipping cultures.<ref>{{cite journal | last=Tashak | first=V. I. | year=2003 | title=Hearths at the Podzvonkaya Palaeolithic site: Evidence suggestive of the spirituality of early populations of the Trans-Baikal region | journal=Archaeology, Ethnology & Anthropology of Eurasia | volume=3 | issue=15 | pages=70–78 }}</ref> The origin of fire became a subject of mythology. In ancient Greek culture, the Titan–god [[Prometheus]] was responsible for [[theft of fire|stealing heavenly fire]] and gifting it to humanity.<ref name=Pyne_2016>{{cite journal | title=Fire in the mind: changing understandings of fire in Western civilization | first=Stephen J. | last=Pyne | journal=Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences | date=June 5, 2016 | volume=371 | issue=1696 | doi=10.1098/rstb.2015.0166 | pmc=4874404 }}</ref>

The use of a [[pyre]] as a [[Funeral|funerary]] practice dates back to at least the Ancient Roman period in the West,<ref>{{cite journal | title=Building a Roman Funeral Pyre | first=David | last=Noy | journal=Antichthon | volume=34 | date=November 2000 | pages=30–45 | doi=10.1017/S0066477400001167 }}</ref> and to about 4,000 years ago on the Indian subcontinent.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Taylor |first=Jerome |date=2008-10-14 |title=The burning issue of Hindu funeral pyres |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/the-burning-issue-of-hindu-funeral-pyres-960259.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250422222730/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/the-burning-issue-of-hindu-funeral-pyres-960259.html |archive-date=2025-04-22 |access-date=2025-04-22 |work=[[The Independent]]}}</ref> [[Cremation]] of corpses is a tradition long practiced in some cultures, including Hindu. After early religious resistance in some countries, in the 19th century this practice became more widespread and is now commonplace.<ref>{{cite journal | title=Living with the Dead: Burial, Cremation and Memory | first=Ken | last=Warpole | journal=Studies: An Irish Quarterly Review | volume=98 | issue=392 | pages=447–456 | year=2009 | jstor=25660708 }}</ref> In some nations, suicide by [[self-immolation]] remains common.<ref>{{cite journal | title=Why self-immolation? A qualitative exploration of the motives for attempting suicide by self-immolation | first1=Leeba | last1=Rezaie | first2=Seyed Ali | last2=Hosseini | first3=Mehdi | last3=Rassafiani | first4=Farid | last4=Najafi | first5=Jalal | last5=Shakeri | first6=Hamid Reza | last6=Khankeh | journal=Burns | volume=40 | issue=2 | date=March 2014 | pages=319–327 | doi=10.1016/j.burns.2013.06.016 }}</ref>

The symbology of fire remains important to the present day. Where wood is plentiful, the [[bonfire]] can be used for celebration purposes, in many cases as part of a tradition. An example is [[Guy Fawkes Night]] in England.<ref>{{cite journal | title=Observing UK Bonfire Night pollution from space: analysis of atmospheric aerosol | first1=R. J. | last1=Pope | first2=A. M. | last2=Marshall | first3=B. O. | last3=O'Kane | journal=Weather | volume=71 | issue=11 | date=November 2016 | pages=288–291 | doi=10.1002/wea.2914 }}</ref> The [[barbecue]] is a fire-based cultural tradition in the United States.<ref>{{cite journal | title=Barbecue as a Historical Looking Glass | first=Zach | last=Myers | journal=Legacy | volume=18 | issue=1 | url=https://opensiuc.lib.siu.edu/legacy/vol18/iss1/7 | access-date=2025-03-06 }}</ref> The fiery ignition of [[fireworks]] has become a modern tradition to celebrate the [[New Year]]s arrival.<ref>{{cite journal | title=Impact of New Year's Eve fireworks on the size resolved element distributions in airborne particles | first1=Stefan | last1=Tanda | first2=Roman | last2=Ličbinský | first3=Jitka | last3=Hegrová | first4=Walter | last4=Goessler | journal=Environment International | pages=371–378 | date=July 2019 | pmid=31078006 | doi=10.1016/j.envint.2019.04.071 | doi-access=free }}</ref> In contrast, [[book burning]] has been used as a form of protest, whether for political, religious, or moral reasons.<ref>{{cite journal | title=Moral Bonfires: An Exploration of Book Burning in American Society | first=Lisa | last=Olson | journal=Dalhousie Journal of Interdisciplinary Management | volume=16 | year=2021 | doi=10.5931/djim.v16i1.10886 | doi-access=free }}</ref> The act of "burning in [[effigy]]" has a similar role, as in the annual [[burning of Judas]] ritual.<ref>{{cite news | title=Greek towns ritually burn Judas as Orthodox celebrate Easter | first1=Petros | last1=Giannakouris | first2=Demetris | last2=Nellas | work=Times of Israel | date=April 9, 2018 | url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/greek-towns-ritually-burn-judas-as-orthodox-celebrate-easter/ | access-date=2025-03-06 }}</ref>

Humans lack an instinctual fascination with fire, yet in modern societies adults can become drawn to it out of curiosity. In societies that are dependent on daily fire use, children lose interest in fire at about age seven due to regular exposure.<ref>{{cite web | title=Why We Are Drawn to Fire | first=Natalie | last=Wolchover | date=April 23, 2012 | website=Live Science | url=https://www.livescience.com/19853-fire-fascination.html | access-date=2025-03-11 }}</ref> [[Arson]] is the act of intentionally setting fire to a property. A separate but related behavior is [[pyromania]], which is classified as an [[impulse-control disorder]] where individuals repeatedly fail to resist impulses to deliberately start fires.<ref>{{cite book | title=The American Psychiatric Publishing Textbook of Psychiatry | first=Robert E. | last=Hales | section=Impulse Disorders Not Elsewhere Classified | editor1-first=Stuart C. | editor1-last=Yudofsky | editor2-first=Glen O. | editor2-last=Gabbard | publisher=American Psychiatric Publishing | page=793 | year=2008 | isbn=9781585622573 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2RzFWRIAsPAC&pg=PA793 }}</ref> In contrast is [[pyrophobia]], an irrational fear of fire. This [[anxiety disorder]] is a less common phobia.<ref>{{cite web | title=DSM-5 Phobia Types, Diagnosis, and Treatment | date=January 12, 2022 | first=Elizabeth | last=Millard | website=MedCentral | publisher=[[HealthCentral]] | url=https://www.medcentral.com/behavioral-mental/anxiety/assessment-diagnosis-adherence-phobia | access-date=2025-03-11 }}</ref>