Editorial photo #1652092 Religion and Belief
Anastenaria ritual, fire walk in Agia Eleni village, Northern Greece
Anastenaria ritual is taking place in Agia Eleni village, Greece, in the Balkan area on 18 January 2018. It is actually barefoot walking on burning fire, on coals. There is a dancing ritual with traditional music instruments like lyra and daouli. Participants are purifying themselves through dance and water and they are in ecstasies so they can walk on the fire. The bishop of the area of the Greek Orthodox church does not recognize it as Christian and declares that has pagan origins. Today they walked inside the Konaki, the building, nearby is a chapel/water spring after Saint Helen. Today is Saint Athanasios day, a very popular day that is accompanied with many traditions across the Christian world. It is actually barefoot walking on burning fire, on coals. There is a dancing ritual with traditional thracian music instruments like lyra and drum. Participants are purifying themselves through dance and water and they are in ecstasies so they can walk on the fire. The central figures of the tradition are Saint Constantine and Saint Helen. Today they walked and danced inside the Konaki that is a special shrine, the building, nearby is a chapel/water spring after Saint Helen. The custom originated in the Middle Ages when the church of Saint Constantine in their original home in Kosti, now in Bulgaria, caught fire. Many ethnographers have argued that the Anastenaria are vestiges of ancient practices of cults of god Dionysus in ancient Greece. (Photo by Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto)
