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A Persian coworker from a previous life told me that the fire festival was rooted in the Zoroaster's religion. However, if it is 4,000 years old, it probably predates that and was coopted by the Zoroasters.

For those of you who recall your Bible history, the three wise men were likely Zoroasters who travelled from Persia. To them the fire dance represents the delicate balance of good and evil in the world and evil was winning when the Christ child came to restore the balance. Islam tried to repress the celebration when they first conquered Persia in the 8th century, but eventually gave up.

Now that evil is on the march again, other religions believe another event will once again restore the balance. The Jews would call this the arrival of the Messiah, Christians the second coming and the Baha'i, who have the closest modern theological connection to the ancient Zorasters, call it a restoration.