I learned how to say 'bonfire' in Spanish, today. Like most languages besides English, Spanish has more than one word for this glorious phenomenon.
"Hoguera" is the word you use for a celebratory fire; "fogata" is used when you are referring to a bonfire that burns scraps/rubbish.
The distinction made me remember one November night in Oregon: my little village of beautiful mountain dwelling neighbors lit a fogata that burned on the scraps from many days of construction and chores that we all participated in. It was one of the best fuegos (fires) I have ever been to, its glowing arms flailing far above any of our heads, making love with the black sky. We danced around it like storybook indians, retreating to the snow to coat our bodies in the damp cold only to race back to the orange that played our child's game with us, playfully daring us to come closer. Feeding on yesterday's humanizing labor and today's bliss, fogata became hoguera.
I love the idea of waste being transformed from waste into a means to celebration. Just one of many small moments in my life where I felt like I was dwelling in the rightness of the Kingdom of God.
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