The Bulgarian Orthodox Church against Folk Traditions: The Nestinar Ritual in Strumyani and Parvomay as Invented Traditions
The Bulgarian Orthodox Church against Folk Traditions: The Nestinar Ritual in Strumyani and Parvomay as Invented Traditions

Summary/Abstract: This article analyzes the intensified negative attitude of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church (BOC) toward certain manifestations of Bulgarian folkloric tradition in a contemporary context. The study focuses on two specific cases: the fire-dancing rituals (nestinarstvo) in the villages of Strumyani and Parvomay (Blagoevgrad Province), which are also examined as examples of “invented tradition” in the sense defined by Eric Hobsbawm. The aim is to trace how the Church exercises institutional and symbolic control over public cultural practices. The article argues that after the end of the schism in the BOC in 1998, a more distinct institutional consolidation of claims to control over the “purity” of Orthodox practice can be observed, leading to conflicts with local cultural traditions and to processes of clericalization affecting not only the clergy but also the laity. The analysis shows that the examined cases are not isolated but fit into broader processes of re/traditionalization and ideological reinterpretation of tradition in contemporary Bulgaria.

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