Day of Equal-to-the-Apostles Tsar Constantine and the mother of his Queen Helena in Bulgaria (21/05)

In Bulgaria, the day of Equal-to-the-Apostles Tsar Constantine and the mother of his Queen Helena is always celebrated on May 21. This is the last of the spring holidays, whose ritual side anticipates the imminent onset of summer.

Emperor Constantine, ruler in Rome and later in Byzantium, and his mother — the pious Queen Helena, who unveiled the cross of the Lord on Calvary — are among the most zealously revered saints in Bulgaria. In memory of them, in the town of the Cross Forest (Krestova Gora) in the Rhodopes, a temple was re-erected on the site of a monastery destroyed by the Turks, where a chip from the cross of the Lord was kept.

The day of Saints Constantine and Helena is held in special esteem by residents of south-eastern Bulgaria, as well as several villages in northern Greece inhabited exclusively by immigrants. This is a day of playing on burning coals.

As a rule, the holiday begins a few days earlier, when they begin to collect money together for the so-called „kurban” (ritual slaughter of lambs and preparation of dishes from their meat, which are then eaten in public by the whole village). Part of the money then necessarily goes to repair churches and spring sources, if necessary.

On the morning of May 21, a tour of holy places begins, primarily healing springs and quitrent trees. At the head of the procession, people carry icons of Saints Constantine and Helen. Often prayers are attached or sewn to icons asking for healing of people and animals. It is believed that on this day the water in the springs has healing properties, and everyone takes turns drinking the spring water. In the clearing near the springs, the slaughtered lamb is usually fried and kurban is prepared. After eating, songs begin, and more savvy guys tie swings to green trees, into which girls are seated and rocked. There is a belief that nothing can destroy the love that flares up on this day.

Only in the evening do people return to their village and make a large fire in the center after sunset. As the fire flares up, a horo dance begins to the music of bagpipes and a bass drum (typan). When the fire begins to fade, the still burning coals are laid out in a circle in a wide layer. Everything is ready for the non-tinar dances. Carrying icons high above their heads, barefoot nestinars in a trance begin to walk, dancing, over coals, but the fire does not burn their feet. At this moment they seem to break away from the world around them and are transported to another world. Often from their lips you can hear prophecies and omens about what the harvest will be like or who will happen. They often establish connections with the dead.

Nestinarism (in etymology from the Greek „estia” — hearth), as a ritual, most likely originates from ancient mysteries that were once common in these places. The goal of the Nestinar rite — is to beg the higher powers for a rich harvest, health and prosperity for the villagers. The cult of fire, associated later with Christian traditions, deeply entered the local rituals. Not everyone becomes a Nestinar. Usually, non-ministry, as a skill, is passed on from mother to daughter and from father to son, but this only happens if a person can feel within himself that during the dance he is filled with the spirit of the saint.

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