The Catherine wheel, a popular firework in Great Britain, is named after Christian martyr Catherine of Alexandria. Its design includes a hub with explosives that spin and throw sparks when ignited. The firework may have been part of her Saint’s Day festivities. Care must be taken when lighting it.
A Catherine wheel is a very popular type of firework in Great Britain. In other nations, it is sometimes better known as a pinwheel. Its basic design includes a hub to rotate on, with explosives mounted on it. When ignited, the hub spins, throwing sparks and flames from the fireworks.
The firework is named, strangely, for a Christian martyr. Catherine of Alexandria lived during the 4th century AD and was by all accounts an unusually educated woman. In addition to being well read, she has engaged in debates with leading members of society and has successfully converted many high-level individuals to Christianity. As a result, she was sentenced to “breaking the wheel,” a death involving breaking limbs and passing through a heavily studded wheel. The victim would succumb to her wounds, but only after several days. However, when Catherine touched the wheel, she broke and was beheaded instead.
It’s unclear how a firework got its name from a brutal torture device. The Catherine wheel superficially resembles the wheel of Saint Catherine, as indeed any circular object would. It may be that the fireworks were part of her Saint’s Day festivities, November 25th. Fortunately, the modern Catherine wheel is designed to be associated with feasting, rather than martyrdom.
In the most basic designs, a Catherine wheel uses a hollow tube filled with explosive powder. The tube is wrapped around a central hub and one end is turned on. When the dust explodes, it spins the wheel, causing a shower of often multicolored sparks. In other designs, the rockets are mounted on the wheel and ignited simultaneously. The rockets spin the wheel, create a showy display of sparks and flames, and sometimes ignite secondary rockets or gunpowder tubes to extend the show. The imaginative Catherine wheels can even change direction.
As with any firework, care must be taken when lighting a Catherine wheel. Most users prefer to mount them on a fence or a special launcher, which should first be wetted with water so that it does not ignite. Take care to secure a Catherine wheel properly as well, as runaway fireworks can do a lot of damage.
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