Bulgari

Nestinarstvo, the barefoot dance on burning embers, survives as a living practice in one village: Bulgari in the Strandzha, where it is performed on the night of 3 June, the feast of Saints Constantine and Helena. The day involves a procession to a sacred spring, the carrying of icons, drumming and bagpipe, and after dark a fire is burned down to a bed of coals which is raked out and danced on barefoot by the nestinari, who carry the icons as they go. It is understood by the participants as a religious act rather than a performance, and it is inscribed by UNESCO. Versions staged at coastal hotels for visitors are not the same thing and the villagers are clear about that.

What you actually see

• Barefoot dancing on live coals - the practice as it survives in the village.
• Icons carried into the fire - the religious core of the act.
• Drum and bagpipe through the day - the music leading up to the night.
• The procession to the spring - the daytime part of the observance.

When to go

3 June into the night, and only then in the authentic form. An evening. The village fills and parking is a long walk out. Hotel versions on the coast run through the summer and are staged.

Honest expectations

It is a religious observance, not a show; photography with flash and pushing to the front are resented. The village is very crowded that night and facilities are minimal. Staged hotel versions are common and misleading. Nothing happens there the rest of the year.

Nearby

Brashlyan is west; the Strandzha coast lies east.