Among Sri Lanka's sumptuous cultural relics, \"Pandam Paliya\" – the country's traditional dance – stands out as a repertoire in almost all pageants. One of the must-see performances, the fire dance, was originally designed to drive darkness out of the night, to scare away fear, anxiety and ailments brought about by \"evil spirits.\"
The fireball dancers continue to captivate tourists given the performance's risk as well as beauty. After all, it is playing with fire. \"Even though fire is dangerous, young kids have innate abilities to handle it,\" said Ilandari Thilakarathana from Peliyagoda. Born in 1953, he is a professional fireball dancer who has received presidential awards every year since 1978. He now trains young people to inherit this tradition, allowing the next generation to support themselves with the art.
In Sri Lanka, playing with fire is deemed an essential way to foster patience, perseverance and courage to tide over ordeals. Although dangerous, experimenting with fire has also allowed humans to tame nature and form civilizations. Greek philosopher Heraclitus described the entire cosmos as \"an ever-living fire.\"
For Thilakarathana and his apprentices, playing with fire reinforces their faith and refining their dancing is a life-long pursuit.
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
