Sitting Together Around a Blazing Fire - An Ancient Ritual that Lives on Today

Fire is one of the fundamental elements of our world and continues to fascinate us to this day. Its flickering flames, warm glow and bright light have an almost mesmerising effect. We find ourselves gazing into the fire, forgetting the world around us. Or we gather around it to eat together and sing a few songs, just as people did in the days before electricity. Today, state-of-the-art technology and beautiful design contain the flames, transforming fire into an atmospheric centrepiece known as ‘glass fire’, suitable for both indoor and outdoor spaces.

But let us go back to a time when people did not yet know how to start a fire themselves and had to capture and tend naturally occurring flames, for example, after a lightning strike. The ability to overcome our fear of fire and use it for our own purposes set humans apart from other living creatures. In temples, fire was often tended by goddesses and was not allowed to go out. Later, the hearths in people’s homes were also carefully tended, providing warmth, light and a means of cooking food.

Eventually, people learnt how to make fire themselves. We may remember childhood adventures in the great outdoors, where flint, rapidly spinning pointed sticks, special tree fungi and similar materials played a key role in starting a fire. Then, in 1806, the first matches appeared, and the world changed. Fire could now be created anytime and anywhere, but it remained dangerous. If it got out of control, it could cause considerable damage.

That remains true today. This is why the vessels that allow us to enjoy fire both indoors and outdoors are specially designed so that we can live safely alongside this powerful element in the modern world. Enclosed in specially designed glass containers, even in the form of a table fire, the dancing flames create a wonderful atmosphere. Depending on the fuel used, the fire can burn for several hours and, even today, quickly becomes the focal point of any social gathering. We humans cannot do without fire, nor would we want to. And these beautiful fire pits ensure that we can continue to enjoy it.