It’s way easier to celebrate the summer solstice – the nights are mild, the mornings are warm and all in all it’s easier to drag yourself out of bed at 4 am (or never go to sleep) when you know a bright summer day awaits. Things get harder when you try to convince yourself to do the same with the winter solstice. Just think of the frost, the stone-cold hands, the white death, the polar bears…

If you’re well prepared, however, the winter solstice ritual can become one of the highlights of December (it can even outdo Christmas, I promise!). Here are a few tips to help you have a great winter solstice with your besties.

Winter in the wild | Ales Krivec/Unsplash.com

The ritual

Choose a vantage point with a spectacular view (it’s important that you’re facing east, toward the sunrise). Bring your bravest friends, plenty of hot drinks and some portable speakers. Choose your personal winter solstice song and play it at the sight of the sun poking above the skyline after its longest sleep of the year. As the sun’s rays light up the sky above, raise a glass to adventures and drinks with a view!

The equipment

The key to a pleasant winter solstice experience is to NOT be cold. You wouldn’t want all your memories of the sunrise to be about how you were shivering uncontrollably and gradually losing feeling in your feet and hands. Dress according to the night’s weather forecast and when you’re done, add one extra scarf and one extra blanket. These particular extras are what will save the trip – I say this from personal experience.

A snow picnic from our last winter solstice adventure | © Maria Angelova/www.203challenges.com

The drinks

Bring whatever hot drinks will help you toast the winter solstice – that could be hot tea, hot tea with rum, only rum, or mulled wine. Make sure you bring something non-alcoholic for the poor driver.

When is the winter solstice?

The winter solstice in the northern hemisphere is about December 21. In the southern hemisphere, it’s about June 21. The exact time of the solstice varies from place to place and year to year – simply typing ‘winter solstice’ into Google will show you the the exact time and date for your location.

Have you greeted the sun on the morning of the winter solstice? Would you do it again?

Pin it to your travel inspiration board:

The post The winter solstice idea: a December ritual appeared first on 203Challenges.

The date is 3 June every year.

The place – the remote village of Bulgari.

Accompanied by the sounds of the drum and bagpipes, the fire dancers – called nestinari, are stepping into the embers. They have been keeping the secrets of their mystic ritual for centuries – ever since the time when the Thracian priests were trying to connect with their gods.

This ritual is not just a dance in the embers. It unites legends, rituals, memories and prophecies for the future. What are the secrets of the nestinari and what happens in the beginning of June in the heart of Strandzha Mountain – join us on a journey through the secrets of the ancient rituals.

The five nestinari villages in Strandzha

Kosti, Kondolovo, Bulgari, Gramatikovo and Slivarovo – these are the last five nestinari villages. Every year, the people from these villages made a procession, bringing the icons of Saints Constantine and Helena to the Vlahov Dol area (located almost in the middle of the mountain). Each village had its own wooden bed, on which the icon was placed after being ritually washed. After that, they would perform a korban (animal sacrifice) and finally dance on the hot coals. Unfortunately, this tradition was interrupted in 1941.

Nowadays the last place in Bulgaria where nestinari dances are held is the village of Bulgari. The processions from the five nestinari villages to Vlahov Dol were started again a few years ago (on the last Sunday before 3 June), but the fire dance can only be seen in Bulgari.

Few people know that the nestinari ritual used to last seven full days. Due to the persecution of the nestinari it was shortened to three days, while today it lasts only one.

Not just dancing on fire

Many restaurants at Bulgarian the seaside have shows with dancers on embers but they have nothing to do with the original tradition. Since ancient times, divination is at the heart of the ritual. The nestinari community used to have its own secret life, guided by the lead nestinar. It was lead by a special nestinari calendar and mystic rituals and divination about the future were done throughout the whole year. The peak moment was the day of Sts. Constantine and Helena – 3 June.

It all began thousands of years ago…

Nobody knows exactly when our ancestors danced in the fire for the first time. It is known that thousands of years ago the ancient Thracian tribes performed rituals in the fire as part of their cult of the sun. The circle of fire on the ground was a reflection of the fire disc in the sky. At that time only the king-priest had the right to step on the coals and come into contact with the gods.

… from the pagan dances to the cult of Saint Constantine

Gradually, the pagan nestinari ritual began to Christianize. When the Roman emperor Constantine the Great proclaimed Christianity an equal religion in the fourth century, the nestinari dedicated their dance in the embers to him and his mother Helena as a token of gratitude. Over time the dance acquired some Christian elements, but it was never accepted by the church.

What exactly happens on 3 June?

On the day of Saints Constantine and Helena, early in the morning, the icons of the saints are brought out of the church and taken to the konak building in Bulgari village (a small building in which the main nestinar woman is preparing for the dance). The icons are then draped in red fabric and the nestinari procession heads to the chapel of Saint Constantine, which is located in the forest by the village. There the procession circles the chapel three times counterclockwise, the people pour themselves healing water from a spring and the icon is returned to the konak.

The main nestinar woman (or man) spends the entire day in the konak, where she focuses, prays and prepares to go into a trance. After dark, to the sounds of the drum and bagpipe, she begins making vocal sounds, through which she controls her breathing but also, it is said, communicates with the universe. The nestinari leave the konak in a solemn procession and do three rounds of the church and three rounds of the coals.

After that, the actual dance begins and it lasts 5-10 minutes. Starting from the oldest one, the nestinari pass barefoot through the fiery circle, with the icon in their hands. Finally, the nestinari horo (traditional folk dance) is danced around the fire and everyone else who knows the steps can also join the nestinari.

Nestinari melodies and dances

All fire dancing rituals are performed to the sounds of the holy drum (that is kept in the konak year-round) and the bagpipe. There are three nestinari melodies. The first one is played when the icons are taken from the church on the morning of 3 June. The second one – when the nestinari are getting ready to step into the fire. The third one – during the actual dance in the embers. It is interesting that the nestinari horo begins with the left foot – in Strandzha only two folklore dances start with the left foot, both of them ritual ones.

The last nestinari

In the past, the nestinari ritual used to be passed on through the generations. During the communist period it was forbidden by the authorities and the tradition was broken until the beginning of the 90s. Despite that in 1964 a film was made about the last two nestinari women – Babini Slatini (the film is kept in the town hall of Bulgari).

Nowadays the dances in Bulgari village are not performed by the children of the nestinari families.

In 2009, UNESCO entered nestinari dances in the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage.

Museum of nestinari

In 2014, The Road of the Nestinari visitor center was opened in Bulgari village. In it archival photos and objects tell about the past of the tradition.

The post Bulgaria fire dancing: Uncovering the secrets of the nestinari appeared first on 203Challenges.

Demir Baba Тeke has been considered a holy place in Bulgaria for 3,000 years – since the time of the ancient Thracians. The peculiar shrine nestled in greenery welcomes everyone, regardless of their religion, to be enchanted by a number of local legends.

Who was Demir Baba?

Demir Baba was an Alevi saint, a wise man and healer. The Alevis are followers of an isolated branch of Islam, famous for its tolerance towards all other religions. For example, these spiritual people describe the difference between their religion and Christianity as no thicker than “onion skin”.

Demir Baba Teke, Bulgaria | © Maria Angelova/203challenges.com

What you will see (+ some terminology)

Turbe – a heptagonal tomb

Teke (or khanqah, riban) – a holy place featuring a turbe of an Alevi saint

The turbe is Demir Baba’s tomb. It is built between two rocks, which once served as a Thracian sanctuary. Check out the house next to the tomb, where a small museum offers information about the Alevis and the life of Demir Baba.

If you are searching for God, go, look for him in man – Demir Baba

Demir Baba Teke, Bulgaria | © Maria Angelova/203challenges.com

The rituals

You can participate in the many rituals that still take place here. Legend has it that in one dry year, Demir Baba touched a rock with his palm. Water started flowing from the rock, creating the spring that now bubbles in the teke`s yard. Wash yourself three times and drink from the water (it is clean). Then, on the way to the teke, tie a cloth to a tree branch for good health. Look for the rock to the left of the turbe; people believe that if they lie here with their head down, then stand up without using their hands, they will be healthy. To the left of the building there is a wall with two holes. Stand a few steps away from the holes and, with your eyes closed, point to them with your index fingers. This tradition is known as “stabbing the witch’s eyes out”. According to the legend, only the righteous succeed.

Stabbing the witch;s eyes at Demir Baba Teke, Bulgaria | © Maria Angelova/203challenges.com

See also…

Demir Baba teke is part of Sboryanovo Archeological Reserve, which also includes a UNESCO world heritage site – the Thracian Tomb of Sveshtari. Also of interest in the region are the remains of Helis, an ancient Thracian town from the 4th or 3rd century BC, believed to have been the capital of the Getae tribe. Make sure you go to the plateau above the teke to appreciate splendid panoramic views. If you want to see everything, it’s a good idea to spend a whole day in the area. It’s not too far between sights, but it’s best to have a car or a bike.

Useful information

You can visit the teke at any time. It is 12 km from the town of Isperih, passing through the villages of Dragomazh and Malak Porovets. The road through the village of Sveshtari is the same length – 1.5 km from Isperih you will see a sign at the turn-off from the Isperih-Ruse road. Park your car by the grass area, where you’ll see summer houses and Thracian excavations, then take the stairs down to the teke. For more information: Historical Museum of Isperih – +359 8431/4783, www.museumisperih.com (in Bulgarian only, you will have to use Google Translate), www.getika.com.

Pin it:

The post Demir Baba Teke – a holy place in Bulgaria for 3,000 years appeared first on 203Challenges.