Playing with fire CAN be fun!

I’m interested in all things fire-related, and in my Googling around, I found something really cool…Fire Arts. According to Wikipedia, the term Fire Arts includes any or all talents of fire performers. According to ME, it’s the coolest use for paraffin oil I’ve ever seen.

Ultra-pure paraffin oil is the fuel of choice for professional fire breathers and fire eaters (who are the ONLY ones who should put this stuff in their mouth). Fire breathing is where the performer creates a fireball by exhaling a fine mist of fuel over an open flame. Not surprisingly, it’s considered the most dangerous of the fire arts, especially on a windy day. Fire-eaters practice the slightly safer art of placing flaming objects into their mouth. As I have access to lots of paraffin oil, I thought it would be a great (or exceptionally bad) idea to try it myself, but the how-to part of fire eating is kept a tight secret by those who practice it. Sigh.

Fire poi flower – amazing! Source: westcoastjuggling.com

But wait, what’s this? Fire dancing? Oh, yes – paraffin oil (and sometimes tiki torch fuel) is also used for fire dancing. This awesome use of fire originated in Polynesia hundreds of years ago. Fire dancers swing a variety of sticks, swords, hoops and poi (a Maori word meaning “ball on a string”), while engaging in elaborate dances. I’m sure I could be a world-class fire dancer, were it not for my woeful lack of coordination and tendency to be accident prone. Sigh. Again.

While my career as a fire performer may be at a standstill, it’s nice to know that paraffin lamp oil is the preferred fuel for those who are able to practice this amazing art. Fire performers like it because it burns very cleanly, and for a long time. The purity of the oil they use is very important, so Firefly Pure Paraffin Oil is the ideal fuel for fire poi, fire eaters, breathers, dancers and twirlers everywhere.

So here’s my plea to the fire arts community – send me photos of you (safely) using Firefly Fuel in your performance!