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Nestinarstvo
The Anastenaria (, ) is a traditional barefoot firewalking ritual with ecstatic dance performed in some villages in Northern Greece and Southern Bulgaria. The communities which celebrate this ritual are descended from refugees who entered Greece from Eastern Thrace following the Balkan Wars of 1911–12 and the Population exchange between Greece and Turkey in 1923. Ritual cycle The Bulgarian and Greek villages perform a unique annual ritual cycle, which begins on May 21 and ends on May 23 every year. The central figures of the tradition are Saint Constantine and Saint Helen, but all the significant days in this cycle coincide with important days in the Greek Orthodox calendar and are related to various Christian saints. The two major events in this cycle are two big festivals, one in January and particularly one in May, dedicated to these two saints. Each of the festivals lasts for three days and involves various processions, music and dancing, and an animal sacrifice. The ...
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Firewalking
Firewalking is the act of walking barefoot over a bed of hot embers or stones. It has been practiced by many people and cultures in many parts of the world, with the earliest known reference dating from Iron Age India . It is often used as a rite of passage, as a test of strength and courage, and in religion as a test of faith. Modern physics has explained the phenomenon, concluding that the foot does not touch the hot surface long enough to burn and that embers are poor conductors of heat. History Walking on fire has existed for several thousand years, with records dating back to 1200 BCE. (livescience.com) Cultures across the globe use firewalking for rites of healing, initiation, and faith. Firewalking is also practiced by: * The Sawau clan on the island of Beqa, to the south of Viti Levu in the Fiji, Fijian Islands. The phenomenon was examined in 1902 when it was already a tourist attraction, with a "Probable Explanation of the Mystery" arrived at. * San Pedro Manrique, a ...
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Strandzha
Strandzha (, also transliterated as ''Strandja'', ; , or ) is a mountain massif in southeastern Bulgaria and East Thrace, the European part of Turkey. It is in the southeastern part of the Balkans between the plains of Thrace to the west, the lowlands near Burgas to the north, and the Black Sea to the east. Its highest peak is Mahya Dağı (, ''Mahiada'') () in Turkey, while the highest point on Bulgarian territory is Golyamo Gradishte () (). The total area is approximately . Geography and climate The climate of the area is considerably influenced by the Black Sea and is predominantly humid continental in the mountains and humid subtropical at the coast. Major rivers in the area are the Veleka ( long) and the border river Rezovska ( long). Strandzha Nature Park Strandzha Nature Park, established in 1995 in the Bulgarian part of the massif, is the largest protected area in Bulgaria. In size it is , or about 1% of Bulgaria's total territory. The İğneada Floodplain Fo ...
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Bulgaria
Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey to the south, Serbia and North Macedonia to the west, and Romania to the north. It covers a territory of and is the tenth largest within the European Union and the List of European countries by area, sixteenth-largest country in Europe by area. Sofia is the nation's capital and List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, largest city; other major cities include Burgas, Plovdiv, and Varna, Bulgaria, Varna. One of the earliest societies in the lands of modern-day Bulgaria was the Karanovo culture (6,500 BC). In the 6th to 3rd century BC, the region was a battleground for ancient Thracians, Persians, Celts and Ancient Macedonians, Macedonians; stability came when the Roman Empire conquered the region in AD 45. After the Roman state splintered, trib ...
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Balgari
Balgari () is a village in Tsarevo Municipality, in Burgas Province, in southeastern Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ....Guide Bulgaria
Accessed May 5, 2010 Balgar lies within the territory of Strandzha Nature Park and is one of the few places in Strandzha which has preserved the traditional Nestinarstvo firedancing ritual. The village is the onl ...
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Kerkini
Kerkini () is a village and a former municipality in the Serres regional unit, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Sintiki, of which it is a municipal unit. It is named after ancient Kerkinitis lake (see map of Macedon Macedonia ( ; , ), also called Macedon ( ), was an ancient kingdom on the periphery of Archaic and Classical Greece, which later became the dominant state of Hellenistic Greece. The kingdom was founded and initially ruled by the royal ...). The municipal unit has an area of 353.634 km2. Population of the municipal unit 5,530 (2021). The seat was in Rodopoli. References Populated places in Serres (regional unit) Sintiki {{CentralMacedonia-geo-stub ...
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Meliki
Meliki () is a village and a former municipality in Imathia, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Alexandreia, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit has an area of 98.962 km2. Population 6,350 (2021). Meliki is near Vergina, the place where the tomb of Philip II of Macedon Philip II of Macedon (; 382 BC – October 336 BC) was the king (''basileus'') of the ancient kingdom of Macedonia (ancient kingdom), Macedonia from 359 BC until his death in 336 BC. He was a member of the Argead dynasty, founders of the ... was discovered. References External linksOfficial site of Meliki {{Authority control Populated places in Imathia Alexandreia, Greece ...
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Langadas
Lagkadas (, ) is a town and municipality in the northeast part of Thessaloniki regional unit, Greece. There are 37,022 residents in the municipality and 8,447 of them live in the community of Lagkadas (2021). Lagkadas is located northeast of Thessaloniki, at a distance of about 20 km from its center and at an altitude of about 130m, in the center of the valley of Mygdonia, through which Alexander the Great passed at his campaigns and also the Apostle Paul towards Thessaloniki and Athens. The climate is continental. Nearby is Lake Koroneia (or Lake Lagkada). The inhabitants of Lagkadas participated in the revolution of 1821, with the most famous fighter being Stavros Tzanis, who took part in many battles in southern Greece. The consequence was the destruction of the town in retaliation. During the Macedonian Struggle, the people of Lagkadas offered a lot, with the main Macedonian warrior, the chief Christos Dremlis. Municipality The municipality of Lagkadas was formed at the ...
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Ayia Eleni
Agia, ayia, aghia, hagia, haghia or AGIA may refer to: *''Agia'', feminine form of ''Agios'', 'saint' Geography Cyprus *Agia, Cyprus *Ayia Napa Greece * Agia, Chania, a town in Chania (regional unit), Crete, Greece *Agia, Larissa, Greece *Agia (Meteora), a rock in Thessaly, Greece *Agia, Preveza, a town in the municipality of Parga, Preveza regional unit, Greece Other uses *Saint Agia (died c. 711), Belgian Catholic saint also known as Aye *Alaska Gasline Inducement Act In 2006, Sarah Palin was elected governor of Alaska. Running on a clean-government platform, Palin defeated incumbent Governor Frank Murkowski in the Republican gubernatorial primary election in August. She then went on to win the general elec ..., Alaskan State law * ''Agia'' (moth), a synonym of the moth genus ''Acasis'' See also

* * * * {{disambig, geo ...
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Bulgarian Black Sea Coast
The Bulgarian Black Sea Coast (), also known as the Bulgarian Riviera, covers the entire eastern bound of Bulgaria stretching from the Romanian Black Sea resorts in the north to European Turkey in the south, along 378 km of coastline. White and golden sandy beaches occupy approximately 130 km of the 378 km long coast. The region is an important center of tourism during the summer season (May–October), drawing millions of foreign and local tourists alike and constituting one of the country's most popular tourist destinations. Prior to 1989 the Bulgarian Black Sea coast was internationally known as the ''Red Riviera''. Since the fall of the Iron Curtain, however, its nickname has been changed to the ''Bulgarian Riviera''. The Bulgarian Black Sea Coast has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification ''Cfa''), with considerable maritime and continental influences. The area's average air temperature in the summer is about 28 °C ...
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Sacred Drum
Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a " sacred artifact" that is venerated and blessed), or places (" sacred ground"). French sociologist Émile Durkheim considered the dichotomy between the sacred and the profane to be the central characteristic of religion: "religion is a unified system of beliefs and practices relative to ''sacred things'', that is to say, things set apart and forbidden." Durkheim, Émile. 1915. ''The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life''. London: George Allen & Unwin. . In Durkheim's theory, the sacred represents the interests of the group, especially unity, which are embodied in sacred group symbols, or using team work to help get out of trouble. The profane, on the other hand, involve mundane individual concerns. Etymology The word ''sacred'' des ...
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