Kinds of bonfires, bonfires of pioneers

It is generally accepted that a fire is a forerunner of a fire, a dangerous and unpredictable phenomenon. But if you keep it under surveillance, do not let it grow, then a hot flame can be very useful. On the bonfires prepare food in field conditions, they are indispensable in the taiga, in the forest and in the steppe. The fire will warm on a cold night, frighten off predators and point the direction, if the search is conducted. All kinds of bonfires are known to a few, but with some of them we will introduce you in this article. To light a fire, you need some experience, because not every log or log will burn. Picking up fuel, you need to follow several rules.

First of all, do not cut a living tree, it will not burn. Branches, branches, small trimming of trunks is better to pick up from the ground - a dead tree in the forest is dry, and the fire will immediately catch fire. For a day fire, a thin firewood, in a hurry, will approach, but if you settle for the night, you will have to stock up heavy logs. In this case, the flame will be even, and the fire will burn only in the morning. Of great importance is the stacking of fuel: from how the logs and branches are stacked, it depends how much heat you will have near the fire.

If you classify types of fires according to their purpose, then in the first list there will be those that are intended for cooking. This, as a rule, small fires, which can be approached, removed or hung a bowler. They do not have a strict scheme for laying logs, but they must be dug into the ground to a depth of 10-15 centimeters. The heat from burnt chicken will be closed from the wind and will not cool down for a long time. If there is no possibility to dig a fire, then it is better to lay small logs close to each other, set it on fire and wait for the flame to pass its peak and begin to subside. At this point, you can start cooking.

Some types of fires are suitable only for heating and drying wet clothes. Their flame lasts for hours at the same level. A fire of this type is called a "well", for which logs of 60-70 centimeters long will be required. It fits easily. On two parallel lying logs (at a distance of about half a meter), a pair of the same is placed perpendicularly, then the next pair - and so to a height of half a meter. In the middle of the "well" small firewood is laid and ignited. Thus, the fire begins to burn from the middle.

A very good camp-fire for spending the night in the taiga is "nodja". It will require two or three thick pine logs, not less than a meter long. Other types of fire require firewood for ignition, and "nodja" is ignited in an unconventional way. The bottom log is stacked, four pegs are pummeled close to it, so that between them it is possible to lay another one of the same log. It turns out the construction of two logs stacked one on the other. Between the logs a layer of birch bark or thick moss is laid. Then birch bark is burned along the entire length of the "nodja", you can go to bed, the fire will burn all night.

Pioneer takes a special place in the list of "types of bonfires". It does not prepare food, it is not used for drying clothes. The pioneer fire belongs to the category of ritual or, to be more precise, propaganda.

Late in the evening, when it was already dark, a pioneer fire, usually built in the form of a "hut" or "pyramid", was set on fire.

The long logs, boards and dry branches laid in this way give a powerful, buzzing flame, directed upwards.

The fire burns not for long, a little over an hour, but during this time the pioneer detachments manage to read patriotic verses, dance around it and, sitting in a circle, sing many favorite songs.