Прочити на нестинарството
Interpretations of Nestinarstvo

Summary/Abstract: Nestinarstvo is among the phenomena of folklore culture that are studied in a thorough and detailed way. Its ritual characteristics have been described and analyzed many times. However, its discursive aspects – especially in contemporary Bulgarian culture are still little researched. The attitudes and perceptions of Nestinarstvo vary within a very wide range. This seems to be natural for a ritual that is practiced and lived through with such a high emotional engagement both on behalf of its participants and by the Others – emotionally participating witnesses, spectators and representatives of various institutions. Nestinarstvo was approached by various interpretations from different communities that showed interest and motivation to understand it. The current text is an attempt to investigate the different and often contradicting visions of the fire mysteries. These include the discourse of the official church, which already from the first testimonies of the ritual follows the line of its marginalization; the contradicting attitudes to Nestinarstvo on behalf of “urban” and “rural” communities; its interpretation in light of modern and traditional cultures; the ethnic and “ethnicizing” discourses. What is a fact, however, after all these interpretations (and despite some of them) is that in Strandja Nestinarstvo still survives as a “living antiquity.”

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