Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2024 All Rights Reserved

Nestinari dancing on live embers in Bulgari village

Photo: BGNES, archive

The day of Saints Constantine and Helena is marked today (3 June, old style) in the village of Bulgari in Mount Standzha, with traditional nestinari games. 

Saturday’s programme begins with a nestinari ritual early in the morning, and then from 1 PM until 7 PM the documentary “Footsteps in the fire” will be screened. There will be a photo exhibition of the nestinari ritual at the information centre in the village, followed by a folklore concert programme with the participation of ensemble Tsarevo from the Georgi Kondolov 1914 chitalishte (culture community club). 


The nestinari games proper will begin at 9.30 PM.  At 10 AM on the next day, June 4, there will be an icon procession.

Bulgari is one of few villages where the authentic nestinari tradition has been preserved to this day. Every year, the nestinari ritual of dancing on live embers comes to life in the village in the first days of June, to the sound of drums, as a way of honouring the patron saints of the village – Constantine and Helena.

Compiled by Veneta Nikolova

Photos: Facebook/selobulgari, BGNES



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

New week starts with sunny weather

It will be mostly sunny on Monday. There will be temporary increase in cloudiness from west to east. There will be light westerly and northwesterly wind. Moderate wind is in the forecast for the Danubian Plain and the Upper Thracian Plain. The lowest..

published on 10/13/24 5:20 PM

The number of incidents involving e-scooters has increased threefold

From July to September alone, there were 277 accidents involving electric scooters. Seven people have died, Chief Inspector Lachezar Bliznakov from the "Traffic Police" told Nova TV. The number of accidents has nearly tripled. That is why it is..

published on 10/13/24 4:48 PM
NHIF governor Stanimir Mihaylov

National Health Insurance Fund starts inspections of hospitals due to suspected fake hospitalizations

The National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) will check whether hospitals have falsely reported medical treatment without the patient having been admitted to the hospital, the fund's governor Stanimir Mihaylov, who was reinstated by the Constitutional..

published on 10/13/24 2:32 PM