One Piece: What Is the Fire Festival & Why Is it Important to the People of Wano Country?
The festivities and traditions of the various peoples of One Piece are definitely an interesting topic, one we have not had the pleasure of discussing before. But, with the Wano Country Saga coming to its end, we have decided to tell you a bit about one of the most famous festivals in One Piece, the Fire Festival of Wano Country. This article will reveal what the Fire Festival is and why it is so important to the people of Wano Country.
The Fire Festival is a special annual festivity held in Wano Country’s capital city, the Flower Capital. It is an event held to mourn and honor all the deceased of Wano Country, which is why it has a very symbolic value for the people of Wano. But, after Oden’s death, Kaido and the Shogun decided to repurpose the Festival to become a celebration of the Beast Pirates’ “liberation” of the people of Wano from the tyrannical, evil rule of the Kozuki family, which was a horrible lie and a slap into the face of Wano’s traditions. After their downfall, the festival returned to normal.
The rest of this article will be dedicated to the Fire Festival of Wano Country. You will find out everything there is to know about this specific event why it was so important for the people of Wano Country, and the plot of the series’ major saga. We will present you with the details you need to know and combine them into one wholesome story that you can use as a reference per se. Of course, the article will be full of spoilers as well, so we wanted to warn you beforehand so that you can be careful when approaching it.
The Fire Festival is an extremely important annual event in Wano
The Fire Festival of Wano Country is an annual event to commemorate the dead, in which a large bonfire is lit so that it can also be seen in heaven. On this occasion, the procession of Kurozumi Orochi, consisting of ten thousand men, reached Onigashima to feast with his allies.
A large banquet was organized at the party, which was attended by twenty thousand of Kaido’s subordinates. It was believed that the people of Wano Country regarded Kaido as a myoo, a venerable king of enlightenment who protected the nation and expressed their gratitude to him for saving their homeland from the Kozuki family’s desire to open the borders.
In reality, they were enjoying the one day of Orochi’s absence, hoping that the Nine Red Scabbards would free them from their tyranny. It was the only day of the year they were allowed to drink alcohol.
Now, suppose you just look at this generalized description of what the Fire Festival is. In that case, you might conclude that the Fire Festival is something that the villains who have taken over Wano Country have established and that it is merely a celebration aimed at furthering their goals. This would really make sense from that perspective, as the Fire Festival has remained a part of Wano’s traditions even though Kaido and Orochi crushed all visible signs of opposition. So, why was it retained?
Well, this is an easy one, as we can confirm that it was retained in Wano to control the population of Wano Country and allow them at least some illusion of freedom. This was actually a very slick and cunning move, as it left the people of Wano under the impression that not much had changed under Kaido’s rule, which was not true, actually, as the difference between the rule of the Kozuki family and the joint rule of Orochi and Kaido was tremendous.
So, how did this change the Fire Festival, in the first place? We’ve established that it is now a celebration of the “liberation” of Wano, i.e., a completely false celebration that the people use to be happy because Orochi is not present. But what was it in the past?
Well, as we can confirm, in the past, the Fire Festival was a proper festival that the people of Wano Country used to mourn and honor their deceased ones. This makes sense, as such festivals are traditionally present in Japan (and One Piece is a Japanese work), but Oda, naturally, gave it something special and made it into a proper celebration that perfectly fits the world of One Piece.
As stated, the Fire Festival was organized to honor the dead and held in the Flower Capital, the capital city of Wano Country. It was a true festival of light and a proper tradition that made Wano Country a very special place during that time of the year.
Namely, the people of Wano thought that the grander the celebration, i.e., the more they celebrate and the better the mood, the better, as the emotions shown during the Festival could easily reach the departed ones if the celebration is so grand. This is why Sky Ships are commonly present during the Festival, as it is a sign of splendor, as well as large bonfires, whose fires are very high, because the people of Wano think that high flames could reach the heavens, and thus the departed ones, showing them how they are appreciated on earth.
As the Festival would come to its end, the people of Wano would light lanterns in which they would then place their wishes. The lanterns would then be released to the sky, with the people of Wano Country hoping they would reach their dearly departed ones in the heavens and fulfill their wishes.
