Fire-dancing, called Nestinarstvo, is one of the oldest customs in South Eastern Europe. The dance represents a bridge between the past and the future. The custom is part of the abundant intangible cultural heritage on Bulgarian territory. The tradition of Nestinarstvo is unique and barely known despite the fact that it has existed for centuries. It has not yet been explained how the Nestinar dancers are able to walk barefoot on the burning embers without getting burned.
Nestinarstvo overcame time to exist through millennia. Even to this day, each year on May 21, the feast day of St. Constantine and St. Helena, the Nestinar dancers from the small village of Bulgari, tucked away in the mystical Strandzha Mountain, dance barefoot on the live embers in the same way as their ancestors did thousands of years ago.
A similar custom is also present in Northern Greece, where the dancers are called anastenari.