Sofia - An unforgettable folklore event for migrants from Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, living in Burgas and the region, was held in the small village of Bulgari, organized by Information centre for migrants with IOM.

Before sunset, folklore ensemble with Chitalishte “Georgi Kondolov” – Tsarevo and the group for authentic folklore with Chitalishte “Videlina-1927” – Veselie, performed in the Strandzha village.

For an hour and a half, traditional Bulgarian songs like “Zalyubila e Vasilka”, “Oy, Done, byala Done” were sung and traditional horo dances like Pravo Horo and Nestinarsko Horo were danced. Many others were presented, mainly from the Strandzha region, but also from other Bulgarian folklore regions.

And when the night came, on the feast of remembrance of saints Konstantin and Elena, the mythical “Fire Dance” of the nestinari was performed.

The dance began after sunset and the nestinari danced around the fire circle with icons in hands, before entering it. The mythical ritual was accompanied by the sounds of the drums, echoing in the village. The Nestinarstvo is one of the most spectacular traditional rituals, included in the non-material cultural heritage of UNESCO.

The event was realized in the framework of project "Training and counselling of legal migrants and persons seeking/granted with protection" funded by the National Program of Bulgaria under the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund 2014-2020.

This text was created with the financial support of the EU’s Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF). The International Organization for Migration is solely responsible for the content of the document, and under no circumstances can be assumed that this document reflects the official position of the European Union and the Responsible authority.