In the winter it’s the idea of curling up next to a crackling fire with a good book and a warm drink that we look forward to. In the summer it’s a BBQ or campfire that catches our attention. What is it that makes us so drawn to the flames? Why do we feel ourselves relax when we are near the hearth?
Home Sweet Home
When I was growing up I was lucky enough to live in a house that had an open fire. It wasn’t a particularly old house, 1930’s perhaps, and the building itself had been chopped and changed over the years, but one thing had remained at the centre of it all – the fireplace. I loved helping my dad collect and chop up firewood and then watching my mum expertly lay out the newspaper, fire lighters, twigs and logs ready to be lit as the night drew in. I remember the way the match would spark into life and the flames would be carefully nurtured into a fully fledged roaring fire.
As the heat went up through the chimney walls, not only did the open fire seem to warm the entire house better than the central heating ever could, it also provided us kids with some wonderful roasted treats. A personal favourite would be crumpets cooked over the fire with lashings of butter.
Moving On
Having now ‘grown up’ and moved on into a few different properties (without chimneys) I have made various attempts to recreate the idea of a real fire which is so often the focal point of a room and a desirable feature in a house. From a rather ancient free standing electric flame affect fire that I positioned on top of some reclaimed marble slabs to make it look more like a hearth, to a real stack of logs embedded in the alcove to give a decorative feature that relates to having an open fire; there is nothing that quite lives up to having the real thing.
There is something homely and comforting to hear the crackle of the open fire and watch the flames lapping around the wood or coal. I can quite easily be entranced by it and have often wondered what is behind our love affair with an open fire?
Primitive Needs
When watching survival programmes on TV we often hear that there are several basic things we need to keep going including fire, water, food and shelter. Fire is one of those core things for survival. It is thought that since humans first discovered the benefits of fire and were able to control it, our evolution took a turning point.
Warmth = A fire provided heat to warm us and also provided light so that we can continue activities after the sun had set.
Food = A fire allowed us to start cooking food such as meats
Security = Many animals are afraid of fire which meant that the flames could help protect us from attacks. The smoke from a fire is also thought to help keep insects away.
Social = The fire would become a central point to gather, warm up, eat, feel safe and eventually communicate.
Nowadays we still use an open fire in similar ways to our ancestors. All across the globe humans are still drawn to social gatherings around a fire, such as telling stories around a campfire with marshmallows in hand, to keeping warm with friends in a specially built BBQ hut or around a firepit. Even those that are not able to have access to a real fire still feel the benefits of a modern alternative such as a virtual fire downloaded on their smart TV. There are even some studies that seem to support the idea that humans relax around an open fire. So perhaps our attraction is coming from something primal within us all?