December 8th, 3:30 – 8:00pm
Phoenixville, PA — Every year in downtown Phoenixville they build a giant wooden bird and then set it on fire. The belly of the bird is filled with local artisans pottery creations. As the bird burns, the belly becomes a kiln.
The Phoenix holds an exalted place in the myths of many of the great world cultures.
The Egyptians called it the Bennu and depicted it as a heron with brilliant plumage and a feathered crest on its head. The Greeks called it by the name we use today; Phoenix, which means red, the color most associated with fire and with the sun, and described it as resembling something between an eagle and a peacock. Both the Egyptians and the Greeks believed that this fabulous bird lived in Heilopolis, The City of the Sun, and that at the end of its very long life – 500 to 1500 years – it builds its own pyre from incense and precious woods and is consumed in sacred fire. Out of the ashes springs the new phoenix thus symbolizing resurrection and renewal.
