This might be a stupid question but what is a bonfire?

Question

This might be a stupid question but what is a bonfire?

Answer 1

A large outdoor fire.  Thought to have derived from "bone fire" where a dead person was put on top of the fire to be cremated.

Answer 2

Officially, a bonfire is large outdoor fire that is a controlled burn.  They are usually part of a festive celebration.  

Spme high schools have bonfires as part of homecoming activities.

Texas A&M used to have a huge bonfire each year as part of activities leading up to the annual football game against rival Texas University.  Logs stacked 40 or more feet tall were set ablaze.  Tragically, the pile collapsed in 1999, killing 11 current students and inuring another 27.  Also, one former student died in the collapse.

Answer 3

High school's use bonfires around homecoming time.  They usually have a mascot or dummie that represents the team they are about to play.  The fire is used as gathering spot for the team, coaches and fans.  The band usually plays and the cheerleaders cheer.  It is to promote school spirit and for the team to psych up prior to the game.  It's a gas!!

Answer 4

A bonfire is  usually a gathering of people that is rallied around a fire that is contained usually usually either at a campsite, park, or field or school. An example of this is that homeless people have these to survive by using a barrel and starting a fire that can be controlled and keeping them warm, this is a little bit on the extreme side but is an example, usually friends gather around who want to hang out, start a controlled fire and socialize. The bonfires could be inspired either by spiritual, religious, social protocols, or through an organized establishment such as fraternities, or like the boys scouts.

Answer 5

A bonfire is a large controlled outdoor fire. The word is a contraction of "bone fire" (cf. for example "kostjor" in Russian - from "kost'" meaning "bone"). The practice is believed to derive from the Celtic festival of Samhain when animal bones were burnt to ward off evil spirits.

Answer 6

its just a regular fire but its outside and people sometimes have parties around them and stuff