Carrying the Fire holds different meanings for different people, shaped by what they seek to protect, honour or endure. For the Menang people of the Noongar nation, it carries a deeply practical and ancient significance. For thousands of years, fire was physically carried as a smouldering ember, carefully nestled within slow-burning materials like a banksia pod, to ignite new flames at each campsite. This practice ensured the continuity of life, sustaining people and connection as they moved across the land.
Fire is also a symbol of home and family, a place for warmth and care.
Carrying the Fire can take on many meanings. It symbolises custodianship of culture: fire as knowledge that must never be extinguished. It reflects intergenerational responsibility, emphasising what is passed on (values, ethics and memories), rather than what is owned.
A quote often attributed to Gustav Mahler says, “Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire.”
It’s a simple but powerful idea: tradition isn’t about holding onto the past for its own sake. It’s about keeping its spirit alive and sharing it with the next generation. Passing on the flame becomes both a real and symbolic act, connecting people through something living, warm and enduring.
Each individual who attends the event will be asked to carry their own ‘fire’, as a symbol of their intention for our shared future.
As a community-led celebration, we ask attendees to reflect on what Carrying the Fire means to them in today’s world.
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