The Easter Bonfire- An Ancient Christian Tradition

There’s something otherworldly and ethereal about a flame.

The Holy Spirit appeared as flames on Pentecost.

From the beginnings of creation, humans have acknowledged the necessity of fire, but also the mystery of it.Throughout the Bible, flames are universal in their representation. They are signs of destruction and power, but also of refinement, redemption, creation, warmth, hope and newness. God even appears in flames at times, with the Holy Spirit descending on the Apostles on Pentecost as tongues of fire. In ancient Judaism, a pillar of fire guided the Jews through the desert after their exodus from Egypt. Likewise in the ancient temple in Jerusalem, an eternal flame was kept continually burning in front of the Ark of the covenant reminding all of the eternal presence of God among His chosen people, a tradition that is reflected in traditional Christian churches, where a perpetual flame is kept burning in front of the tabernacle.

During the Easter season, fire also appears in a special way with the Paschal flame, a large candle that is lit for the first time on Easter each year. The origins of the paschal fire have their roots in Druidic tradition and St. Patrick. Patrick, once enslaved in Ireland, returned many years later and felt called to convert the people he had once been enslaved by to Christianity. Upon arriving, he faced incredible persecution and opposition towards the faith, but he persisted in his evangelization efforts.

A Paschal Candle is a large special candle, lit for the first time on Easter

One year, Easter fell on the same night of the Spring Equinox, a celebrated feast in the Druidic religions. It was decreed that all fires in Ireland be extinguished on the night of the Equinox and it was forbidden, under pain of death, that any flame be relit before the kings. In that year, Easter and the Spring Equinox coincided. That night, on the Hill of Slane which stands in clear view of Tara, the king's residence, St. Patrick lit the Paschal fire. He stood in open defiance of not only the authority of the king, but also, and, especially, the Druidic religion from which the king and his advisors drew much of their power. 

A stain glass showing St. Patrick baptizing the Irish King

Upon seeing the flame, the outraged king and his advisors sent soldiers to extinguish the flame and to kill St. Patrick. They feared that such open defiance of the king and religion would only spread relentlessly unless it was quickly and brutally dealt with. But try though they might, they were unable to extinguish the flame or kill St. Patrick

Frightened by the power of Patrick and his God, and persuaded by Patrick's theological rhetoric, the king converted to Christianity. Furthermore, he provided protection for St. Patrick and his followers as they continued their missionary work through Ireland, allowing Christianity to spread.

The tradition of the paschal flame has since been codified into traditional Easter services. On the Easter Vigil ( the night before Easter Sunday), believers gather, holding unlit candles, for a ceremony known as Lucernarium. The ceremony begins outside the church. A bonfire, called the Paschal fire, is lit from flint, creating a new flame, and hot coals are taken from the fire to light incense in the thurible. From this Paschal flame, a special Easter candle is also lit and carried into a darkened church as the only source of light, reminding Christians how the darkness of Good Friday, the darkness of sin and death, was overcome by the unending light of Christ’s resurrection.

Believers gather for a candelight service to celebrate Easter

From here, a few parishioners light their candles from the flame of the Paschal or Easter Candle, and use their candles to light the ones of the people next to them, who do the same in turn, light from light. As scriptures about flame and light are read, the light spreads through the church, as the news of Christ’s resurrection spreads amongst the disciples.