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Hot-foot it down to Fiji

(09 May 2005)

Going back-packing? – Get a great deal on travel insurance

Visitors to the Sheraton Fiji resort in Denarau are regularly treated to the spectacle of the ancient Fijian ceremony of firewalking.

A feat that calls upon every aspect of a person's character, firewalking originated on the Fijian island of Beqa, where legend has is that the ability to walk barefoot across the burning stones was granted to a Bequan chief by a group of Gods.

The skill of firewalking is largely practised by Sawau tribesmen living on the southern side of the island. When the time comes for the walk to take place, those chosen to participate must segregate themselves from all females, having absolutely no contact with them for two weeks and they must refrain from eating any coconut; failure to do so may result in the participant sustaining serious burns during the walk, the legends say.

When the walk is actually scheduled to take place, a pit around 15 in diameter and three or four foot deep. The pit is then lined with large stones and a huge log fire is lit over the stones for eight hours. After a lengthy entrance ceremony, the firewalkers shuffle single file into the pit and walk the entire circumference of the pit before converging in the middle and issuing forth a chant associated with the occasion.

A skill which defies belief, firewalking is made all the more impressive by the fact that even though a piece of cloth cast onto the stones will immediately ignite, the dry tree-fern tied around the ankles of the firewalkers do not ever catch fire

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