Fact Check: Video of a man performing fire pot makes a false claim, it is not from Mahakumbh but China
The Maha Kumbh Mela is the world’s largest public congregation and collective act of faith. This congregation includes;
Fire trick
The Maha Kumbh Mela is the world’s largest public congregation and collective act of faith. This congregation includes ascetics, saints, sadhus, sadhvis, kalpvasis, and pilgrims from all walks of life. Kumbh Mela, in Hinduism, is a religious pilgrimage that is celebrated four times over a course of 12 years. The geographical location of Kumbh Mela spans over four locations in India and the Mela site keeps rotating between one of the four pilgrimage sites at four sacred rivers as listed here: In Haridwar, Uttarakhand, on the banks of Ganges, In Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh on the banks of Shipra, In Nashik, Maharashtra on the banks of Godavari, In Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, at the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna, and the mythical invisible Sarasvati. The Kumbh Mela encapsulates the science of astronomy, astrology, spirituality, ritualistic traditions, and socio-cultural customs and practices, making it extremely rich in knowledge.
Pilgrims to the Kumbh Mela come from all sections of the religion ranging from Sadhus (saints) and Naga Sadhus who practice ‘sadhana’ and keenly follow a strict path of spiritual discipline, to hermits who leave their seclusion and come to visit the civilization-only during the Kumbh Mela, to seekers of spirituality, and to common people practicing Hinduism. During the Kumbh Mela, a number of ceremonies take place; the traditional procession of Akharas called ‘Peshwai’ on elephant backs, horses and chariots, the shining swords and rituals of Naga Sadhus during ‘Shahi Snaan’, and many other cultural activities that attract millions of pilgrims to the Kumbh Mela.
Several videos and images of a few amazing events are being shared virally on social media, and they claim to show the events occurring in the Maha Kumbh Mela. Some of these videos do not belong to Maha Kumbh Mela. One such video where we can see a man doing fire tricks is going viral on social media with the caption in Hindi “ प्रयागराज में इस बार का कुंभ
Here is the Archive Link of the Claim.
Fact Check:
The claim is False. There is no link to the viral video and Mahakumbh.
When we extracted keyframes from the video and searched using reverse image search, we found several Chinese Facebook users sharing this and other similar videos. A Facebook post shared the same video with the caption ‘令人震撼的火壶表演，为中国非遗点赞！ Shocking fire pot performance, praise for Chinese intangible heritage! #Amazing#China#
Another Facebook user shared the same video on October 2, 2024, with a similar caption.
We also found a post published by China Plus Culture with the caption “This cultural blogger staged a fire pot performance in Wunvzhou, Shangrao City, Jiangxi Province. The fire pot performance is a national intangible cultural heritage of China, which symbolizes driving away diseases and avoiding disasters, and bringing peace to the households. The performance presents a visual feast, taking everyone on a journey to experience the rich romance of traditional Chinese culture”
Upon further search, we found a Facebook post shared by China state-controlled media, CCTV published on November 2024 sharing similar images ‘Experience the fiery spectacle of fire pot performance in Wuwei City, Gansu Province! This traditional art form showcases skilled performers who expertly manipulate burning pots, creating a mesmerizing dance of fire and light. With its rich cultural heritage and stunning display, the fire pot performance is a thrilling glimpse into the unique traditions of China.
Therefore, the viral video of the man performing fire tricks is not from Mahakumbh Mela in Prayagraj, it is a traditional fire pot performance from China. The claim is False.