Fire eater

A fire eater is an entertainer, often a street artist or part of a side show. The performer places flaming objects into their mouth and extinguishes them. They also practice controlling and transferring the flame.

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Fire eating was a common part of Hindu Saddhu and Fakir performances to show spiritual attainment. It became a part of the standard sideshow acts in the late 1880s and is often seen as one of the entry-level skills for sideshow performers.

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Other than sound fire safety precautions and some practical advice regarding the laws of physics (i.e. "hot air rises"), there are few secrets to eating fire. There is no such thing as "cold flame" nor is there any special substance in the performer's mouth other than saliva. According to Daniel Mannix's excellent 1951 sideshow memoir Step right up!, the real "secret" to fireeating is enduring pain; he mentions that tolerating constant blisters on your tongue, lips and throat is also necessary. It is a very dangerous act and should not be attempted without professional training.

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Entertainer: :This article is about the profession. There is also a movie and a song entitled "The Entertainer"....

Street artist: A street artist is someone who performs on a street for the pleasure of passers-bys, often in order to earn some profit. Such performers usually include musicians who play flute, violin or other instruments, painters who do sketch for people or use pastel crayon to copy famous paintings on the groun...

Side show: Side Show is a musical about Daisy and Violet Hilton, conjoined Twins who make a change from being a circus act to becoming famous stage performers in the 1930s. The show was written by Bill Russell (book and lyrics) and Henry Krieger (music). The show starred Alice Ripley as Violet and Emily Skin...

Fire eater related Images and Photos (experimental)

Fire!	Fire (DVD)	Fire Away!	Fire Palm
Fire Maple	Fire Truck	Fire Juggler	Fire Sunrise
My Fire	Fire Brigaide	Green Fire (DVD)	Red Fire