Men love bonfires.
It's the smell. The heat. The power of the thing. The way the flames dance about, licking away until there's nothing left, converting heaps of waste into small piles of ash and memories...
Sorry, what were we talking about? Oh yes, bonfires! We love them. But not as much as the men of Slinningsodden, Ålesund, Norway. They've just built a 47.4 metre bonfire, which is big. The biggest ever, in fact.
Every year community of Slinningsodden gather to erect (steady) the Sankthans bonfire, or Midsummer fire. Held on St John's Eve, it's a tradition that sees hundreds gather to build a stack by hand - seriously, they're not even allowed to use ladders - before setting it alight and retreating a safe distance to watch it burn. It used to involve witches, but thankfully they've eliminated that rather quaint element of the tradition. Health and safety, eh?
This year's record breaking stack was filmed by drones, creating some absolutely incredible footage we recommend you gawp at below.
The beacons are lit...
