Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 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

European Public Prosecutor’s Office investigates fictitious mussel farm in the Black Sea

Suspicions of large-scale fraud with EU funds in a project to build a mussel farm in the Black Sea – southeast of Cape Emine in the municipality of Nessebar, have prompted an investigation by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office...

published on 10/20/25 1:59 PM

President of Hungary is on a two-day visit to Bulgaria

President Rumen Radev welcomed Hungarian President Tamás Sulyok in Smolyan. The guest visited the Bulgarian home of Hungarian poet, translator and artist László Nagy in the city in the Rhodopes. On October 20, the two presidents held..

published on 10/20/25 1:36 PM
 Apostolos Tzitzikostas.

Bulgaria, Greece and Romania have finalized a memorandum for joint cooperation on transport projects

Bulgaria, Greece and Romania have finalized a memorandum for joint cooperation on new transport projects, said European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism Apostolos Tzitzikostas. He stated that an agreement for the..

published on 10/20/25 11:54 AM