Jun 25

Fire Lanterns

I had seen these fire lanterns on the movie The Beach but I just saw this picture over the weekend on the Domino blog. She listed a source in England but I did a little digging and found a U.S. source right here. Apparently you light the lanterns they get hot and float up for about 10 minutes before they gently float back down. This is SO COOL! I would love these at a summer party or a wedding. I want to order a couple just to test them out.

13 Comments

  • Paul Ferney says:

    These are awesome!

  • ma vie en rose says:

    Wow! That must be remarkably beautiful to see in action. But how gently do they float back down? I’d definitely be wary of getting knocked in the head by one!

  • lainakay says:

    i’ve never seen anything like these! so different and pretty! putting this in the idea bank…

  • studio wellspring says:

    wowsa ~ these are fantastic. great find!

  • love.boxes says:

    Those are sooo beautiful.. and they don’t like start fires and stuff?

  • ali says:

    Beautiful! I know just the bride for these. Though, do you think there is any fire danger? Wedding near the mountains + fire lanterns (could) = disaster.

  • cruststation says:

    Oh my goodness, how awesome are they? Thank you for sharing.

  • OG says:

    I saw these at a Full Moon Party in Thailand & it really was a magical sight…

  • zobars says:

    I absolutely love these. How wonderful a sight ???

  • TeenSleuth says:

    The poet Elizabeth Bishop wrote a poem about a wildfire started by these kind of lanterns:

    The Armadillo
    Elizabeth Bishop
    for Robert Lowell

    This is the time of year
    when almost every night
    the frail, illegal fire balloons appear.
    Climbing the mountain height,

    rising toward a saint
    still honored in these parts,
    the paper chambers flush and fill with light
    that comes and goes, like hearts.

    Once up against the sky it’s hard
    to tell them from the stars —
    planets, that is — the tinted ones:
    Venus going down, or Mars,

    or the pale green one. With a wind,
    they flare and falter, wobble and toss;
    but if it’s still they steer between
    the kite sticks of the Southern Cross,

    receding, dwindling, solemnly
    and steadily forsaking us,
    or, in the downdraft from a peak,
    suddenly turning dangerous.

    Last night another big one fell.
    It splattered like an egg of fire
    against the cliff behind the house.
    The flame ran down. We saw the pair

    of owls who nest there flying up
    and up, their whirling black-and-white
    stained bright pink underneath, until
    they shrieked up out of sight.

    The ancient owls’ nest must have burned.
    Hastily, all alone,
    a glistening armadillo left the scene,
    rose-flecked, head down, tail down,

    and then a baby rabbit jumped out,
    short-eared, to our surprise.
    So soft! — a handful of intangible ash
    with fixed, ignited eyes.

    Too pretty, dreamlike mimicry!
    O falling fire and piercing cry
    and panic, and a weak mailed fist
    clenched ignorant against the sky!

  • Anonymous says:

    “I had seen” should be “I saw”.

    I agree, these are neat.

  • Anonymous says:

    urmmm ebay item #4638165079036641763

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