Anastenaria
Encyclopedia
The Anastenaria is a traditional fire-walking
ritual
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 exchange of populations between Greece and Turkey
in 1923.
The Anastenaria are Orthodox Christians, however – in addition to the church rituals – they observe a unique annual ritual cycle, which begins on October 26 and ends on August 15 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 3 days and involves various processions, music and dancing, and an animal sacrifice. The festival culminates with a firewalking ritual, where the participants, carrying the icons of saints Constantine and Helen, dance ecstatically for hours before entering the fire and walking barefoot over the glowing-red coals, unharmed by the fire
Each community of the Anastenaria has a special shrine known as the konaki, where their holy icons are placed, as well as the “signs” of the saints (‘’semadia’’), votive offerings and red kerchiefs attached to the icons. Here, on the Eve of the saints’ day, May 20 Saint Constantine
and Saint Helen, they gather to dance to the music of the Thracian lyre
and drum. After some time they believe that they may be "seized" by Saint Constantine
and enter a trance
. On the morning of the Saints' day, May 21, the gather at the konaki and proceed to a well to be blessed with holy water
, and sacrifice
animals. The rules about the nature of the beasts to be slain are precise, but differ from village to village. In the evening a fire is lit in an open space, and after dancing for some time in the konaki, the "anastenarides" go to it carrying their ikons. After dancing around it in a circle, individual anastenarides dance over the hot coals as the saint moves them. The ritual is also performed in January, during the festival of Saint Athanasius, and fire-walking is done indoors.
when the church of Saint Constantine in their original home in Kosti
, now in Bulgaria
, caught fire, and the voices of the saints calling for help could be heard from inside. The villagers who braved the flames to rescue them were unharmed, being protected by the saints. The majority of Greek ethnographers, however, have argued that the Anastenaria originate from the ancient orgiastic cults of Dionysus.
However, this claim is unfounded and is the product of a deliberate tendency to serve specific political agendas. During the 1830s, the Austrian historian Philip Fallmerayer put forth a theory claiming that the contemporary inhabitants of Greece had no racial relation to the ancient Greeks and that at the time the inhabitants of Greece were mostly of Albanian origin. Fallmerayer’s work was deeply ideological, driven by political motives and aspirations. By fear of a Russian expansion to the Mediterranean, he wanted a strong Ottoman empire, and made an appeal to the European forces to abandon their philhellenism and suppress the Greek revolution against the Turks. Fallmerayer’s ideas caused fierce reaction from various scholars of the newly established Greek state and triggered a search for continuity within Greek historiography, in an attempt to prove that there are links between modern Greeks and the ancient Greek civilization. ”.
As a response to Fallmerayer’s ideas, theologian Anastasios Hourmouziadis wrote an essay in 1873 with the purpose of his essay “to disprove those Western European scholars who have falsely contradicted our descent from the ancient Greeks”. Towards this purpose, Hourmouziadis claimed that the Anastenaria derived from the ancient orgiastic Dionysian rites, basing his claim on vague superficial similarities between the two practices. His work established a theory on the origin of the Anastenaria based on inaccurate facts and far-fetched assumptions, but had profound effects on the study as well as the performance of the Anastenaria. On the one hand, the theory of the orgiastic origin of the ritual triggered a persecution by the Greek Church, which is to some extent still going on. The Anastenaria were considered as a pagan cult by the Church; the firewalkers were often threatened and beaten and their icons thrown into fire. More recently, their icons were confiscated and the Anastenarides were threatened with excommunication and refused wedding permits. On the other hand, this theory has been widely influential for Greek ethnography. Most ethnographers have uncritically reproduced Hourmouziadis’ claims, some naively and others intentionally, in order to support political and nationalist agendas.
, Mavrolefke, and Kerkine. In addition, the ritual is still performed in 6 Bulgarian villages in the Strandzha
mountains: Balgari
, Gramatikovo
, Slivarovo
, Kondolovo
, Kosti
and Brodilovo
.
Fire-walking
Firewalking is the act of walking barefoot over a bed of hot embers or stones.Firewalking has been practiced by many people and cultures in all parts of the world, with the earliest known reference dating back to Iron Age India – c. 1200 BC...
ritual
Ritual
A ritual is a set of actions, performed mainly for their symbolic value. It may be prescribed by a religion or by the traditions of a community. The term usually excludes actions which are arbitrarily chosen by the performers....
performed in some villages in Northern Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
and Southern Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
. The communities which celebrate this ritual are descended from refugees who entered Greece from Eastern Thrace
Thrace
Thrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. As a geographical concept, Thrace designates a region bounded by the Balkan Mountains on the north, Rhodope Mountains and the Aegean Sea on the south, and by the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara on the east...
following the Balkan Wars
Balkan Wars
The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe in 1912 and 1913.By the early 20th century, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Greece and Serbia, the countries of the Balkan League, had achieved their independence from the Ottoman Empire, but large parts of their ethnic...
of 1911–12 and the exchange of populations between Greece and Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
in 1923.
The Anastenaria are Orthodox Christians, however – in addition to the church rituals – they observe a unique annual ritual cycle, which begins on October 26 and ends on August 15 every year. The central figures of the tradition are Saint Constantine
Saint Constantine
Saint Constantine may refer to:* Constantine I , Roman Emperor* Constantine of Dumnonia , king of Cornwall* Constantine of Strathclyde , probably fictitious King of Strathclyde...
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 3 days and involves various processions, music and dancing, and an animal sacrifice. The festival culminates with a firewalking ritual, where the participants, carrying the icons of saints Constantine and Helen, dance ecstatically for hours before entering the fire and walking barefoot over the glowing-red coals, unharmed by the fire
Each community of the Anastenaria has a special shrine known as the konaki, where their holy icons are placed, as well as the “signs” of the saints (‘’semadia’’), votive offerings and red kerchiefs attached to the icons. Here, on the Eve of the saints’ day, May 20 Saint Constantine
Saint Constantine
Saint Constantine may refer to:* Constantine I , Roman Emperor* Constantine of Dumnonia , king of Cornwall* Constantine of Strathclyde , probably fictitious King of Strathclyde...
and Saint Helen, they gather to dance to the music of the Thracian lyre
Lyre
The lyre is a stringed musical instrument known for its use in Greek classical antiquity and later. The word comes from the Greek "λύρα" and the earliest reference to the word is the Mycenaean Greek ru-ra-ta-e, meaning "lyrists", written in Linear B syllabic script...
and drum. After some time they believe that they may be "seized" by Saint Constantine
Saint Constantine
Saint Constantine may refer to:* Constantine I , Roman Emperor* Constantine of Dumnonia , king of Cornwall* Constantine of Strathclyde , probably fictitious King of Strathclyde...
and enter a trance
Trance
Trance denotes a variety of processes, ecstasy, techniques, modalities and states of mind, awareness and consciousness. Trance states may occur involuntarily and unbidden.The term trance may be associated with meditation, magic, flow, and prayer...
. On the morning of the Saints' day, May 21, the gather at the konaki and proceed to a well to be blessed with holy water
Holy water
Holy water is water that, in Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Lutheranism, Oriental Orthodoxy, and some other churches, has been sanctified by a priest for the purpose of baptism, the blessing of persons, places, and objects; or as a means of repelling evil.The use for baptism and...
, and sacrifice
Sacrifice
Sacrifice is the offering of food, objects or the lives of animals or people to God or the gods as an act of propitiation or worship.While sacrifice often implies ritual killing, the term offering can be used for bloodless sacrifices of cereal food or artifacts...
animals. The rules about the nature of the beasts to be slain are precise, but differ from village to village. In the evening a fire is lit in an open space, and after dancing for some time in the konaki, the "anastenarides" go to it carrying their ikons. After dancing around it in a circle, individual anastenarides dance over the hot coals as the saint moves them. The ritual is also performed in January, during the festival of Saint Athanasius, and fire-walking is done indoors.
The Question of Origins
According to some myths the custom originated in the Middle AgesMiddle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
when the church of Saint Constantine in their original home in Kosti
Kosti, Bulgaria
Kosti is a village in southeastern Bulgaria, part of Tsarevo municipality, Burgas Province. It is located on the banks of the Veleka River in the Strandzha mountains not far from the Turkish border, 20-25 kilometres south of Tsarevo and 91 km southeast of Burgas...
, now in Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
, caught fire, and the voices of the saints calling for help could be heard from inside. The villagers who braved the flames to rescue them were unharmed, being protected by the saints. The majority of Greek ethnographers, however, have argued that the Anastenaria originate from the ancient orgiastic cults of Dionysus.
However, this claim is unfounded and is the product of a deliberate tendency to serve specific political agendas. During the 1830s, the Austrian historian Philip Fallmerayer put forth a theory claiming that the contemporary inhabitants of Greece had no racial relation to the ancient Greeks and that at the time the inhabitants of Greece were mostly of Albanian origin. Fallmerayer’s work was deeply ideological, driven by political motives and aspirations. By fear of a Russian expansion to the Mediterranean, he wanted a strong Ottoman empire, and made an appeal to the European forces to abandon their philhellenism and suppress the Greek revolution against the Turks. Fallmerayer’s ideas caused fierce reaction from various scholars of the newly established Greek state and triggered a search for continuity within Greek historiography, in an attempt to prove that there are links between modern Greeks and the ancient Greek civilization. ”.
As a response to Fallmerayer’s ideas, theologian Anastasios Hourmouziadis wrote an essay in 1873 with the purpose of his essay “to disprove those Western European scholars who have falsely contradicted our descent from the ancient Greeks”. Towards this purpose, Hourmouziadis claimed that the Anastenaria derived from the ancient orgiastic Dionysian rites, basing his claim on vague superficial similarities between the two practices. His work established a theory on the origin of the Anastenaria based on inaccurate facts and far-fetched assumptions, but had profound effects on the study as well as the performance of the Anastenaria. On the one hand, the theory of the orgiastic origin of the ritual triggered a persecution by the Greek Church, which is to some extent still going on. The Anastenaria were considered as a pagan cult by the Church; the firewalkers were often threatened and beaten and their icons thrown into fire. More recently, their icons were confiscated and the Anastenarides were threatened with excommunication and refused wedding permits. On the other hand, this theory has been widely influential for Greek ethnography. Most ethnographers have uncritically reproduced Hourmouziadis’ claims, some naively and others intentionally, in order to support political and nationalist agendas.
The Anastenaria Today
Today, the rituals of the Anastenaria are performed in five villages of Northern Greece: Ayia Eleni, Langadas, MelikeMelike
Melike is a Turkish given name for females. People named Melike include:* Melike Bakırcıoğlu, Turkish basketball player* Melike Mama Hatun, female ruler of the Saltuklu dynasty* Melike Tarhan, Turkish music artist...
, Mavrolefke, and Kerkine. In addition, the ritual is still performed in 6 Bulgarian villages in the Strandzha
Strandzha
Strandzha is a mountain massif in southeastern Bulgaria and the European part of Turkey, 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 in Turkey, while the...
mountains: Balgari
Balgari
Balgari is a village in the municipality of Tsarevo, in Burgas Province, in southeastern Bulgaria.-References:...
, Gramatikovo
Gramatikovo
Gramatikovo is a village in the municipality of Malko Tarnovo, in Burgas Province, in southeastern Bulgaria.On 31 January a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak was discovered in the village of Gramatikovo.-References:...
, Slivarovo
Slivarovo
Slivarovo is a village in the municipality of Malko Tarnovo, in Burgas Province, in southeastern Bulgaria.-References:...
, Kondolovo
Kondolovo
Kondolovo is a village in the municipality of Tsarevo, in Burgas Province, in southeastern Bulgaria.-References:...
, Kosti
Kosti
Kosti is a major city in Sudan that lies south of Khartoum and stands on the western bank of the White Nile river, opposite Rabak, where there is a bridge...
and Brodilovo
Brodilovo
Brodilovo is a village in the Strandzha mountains of southeastern Bulgaria, part of Tsarevo municipality, Burgas Province. Lying on the left bank of the Veleka, as of 2005 it has a population of 363 and the mayor is Dimitar Dimitrov. Brodilovo is located at , 56 metres above sea level, 12 km south...
.
External links
- Nikov, Nikolay. Holidays of the Bulgarians in Myths and Legends, 21 may , (Yambol 2004)
- Tomkinson, John L., Festive Greece: A Calendar of Tradition, Anagnosis, (Athens, 2003) ISBN 960-87186-7-8