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

Zhecho Stankov

Energy minister: No problems expected with fuel supplies to Bulgaria

The state, all Bulgarian citizens and businesses are fully supplied with fuel. No problems are expected with fuel deliveries in Bulgaria, including those of diesel, petrol and propane-butane. Energy Minister Zhecho Stankov assured this at a briefing..

published on 6/23/25 2:29 PM
Atanas Zapryanov

No immediate threat to Bulgaria following US strikes on Iran, says the Defence Minister

There is no direct military threat to Bulgaria following the US strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities, Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov said at a press conference. Earlier, Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov had convened the Council of Ministers to assess..

published on 6/23/25 2:19 PM

Technical university introduces new aerospace engineering programme

Aerospace Engineering is one of the new degree programs recently introduced at the Technical University in Sofia.  Taught in English, the programme was launched last year with 16 students enrolled — 11 international and 5 Bulgarian. During the first two..

published on 6/23/25 2:02 PM