The decision to participate in the firewalking ceremony is closely associated with the taking of vows (vrata), which plays an important part in all traditional Hindu worship. Individuals can take vows on their own or another person's behalf, promising that if illness or misfortune is averted or overcome, or success achieved in some enterprise, they or the person for whom the vow was taken, will walk across the fire for a specified number of times. This is usually for one, three, five, seven years, or for life. (Hindus tend to regard uneven numbers as being auspicious.) Dire consequences are believed to follow the breaking of such a vow
