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Fire dance
Nestinarstvo is a unique phenomenon, which still remains unveiled; a mystery posing many unanswered questions. In Strandzha Mountain the celebration begins in the Sunday before St.St. Constantine and Helena's Day. In the past the inhabitants of several villages used to gather at "The Big Ayasma" near the area of Vlahov Dol. The area was also called "Odarchetata" (an"odarche" means a small bed in Old Bulgarian), because of the availability of five plank-beds, one for each of the five villages (Gramatikovo, Slivarovo, Bulgari, Kosti and Kondolovo) that most often practiced the ritual.
Nowadays the ritual also includes visiting the saint patrons' holy springs ("ayasmas"), carrying of the icons of the two saints (St.St.Constantine and Helena), animal offering, and serving of ritual breads. The people who attend the ceremony ascend the plank bed, turn to East, cross themselves, light up a candle and stick it into one of the small metal crosses spread over the bed. Many people leave woven kerchiefs and gifts, hung on the parapet of the plank-bed.Sometimes the nestinars "get" their "fits" there.
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