Greeks walk on fire using faith over fear

Record ID: 1821262

  • Title: Greeks walk on fire using faith over fear
  • Date: 30th May 2024
  • Summary: MAVROLEFKI VILLAGE, DRAMA REGION, GREECE (MAY 21, 2024) (REUTERS) HARIS PORFYRIDIS DANCING AS PART OF THE RITUAL OF THE FIREWALKERS, BEFORE THEY WALK ON COALS, DANCING IN FRONT OF THE ICONS OF SAINTS CONSTANTINE AND HELEN, IN THE “KONAKI”, A SHRINE USED FOR THE RITUAL, IN ORDER TO PREPARE TO FIREWALK VARIOUS OF FIREWALKERS DANCING IN FRONT OF THE ICONS OF SAINTS CONSTANTIN
  • Embargoed: 13th June 2024 09:00
  • Keywords: ancient greece firewalkers greece hot coal hot coals ritual
  • Location: MAVROLEFKI VILLAGE, DRAMA REGION, GREECE
  • City: MAVROLEFKI VILLAGE, DRAMA REGION, GREECE
  • Country: Greece
  • Topics: Europe,Religion/Belief,Society/Social Issues
  • Reuters ID: LVA009584327052024RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Greek villager Haris Porfyridis dances in front of the religious icons of Saint Constantine and Helen. Like the others around him in the “konaki”, a shrine to the saints, he is putting himself into a state of preparedness for what is to come.
    Porfyridis, 48, is about to take part in the 'Anastenaria', a fire-walking ritual that has existed in this village of Mavrolefki, in the region of Drama, for decades.
    He then picks up the lyre, to play the repetitive tune the firewalkers listen to as they dance. The dancing will continue until night falls, and they will take off their shoes and walk over hot coals.
    The musician said firewalking gives him a feeling of freedom and redemption. Sometimes, a cold energy travels down to the soles of his feet. When its over, he feels joy. It is all about faith, said Porfyridis, and trust.
    The Anastenaria is a ritual that has been performed in villages of northern Greece and southern Bulgaria for generations. It was brought to Mavrolefki village in 1922, by refugees from the Bulgarian village of Kosti.
    Firewalkers perform the ritual on the feast day of the two saints. They say they are not burned.
    Firewalker Maria Hriti, 50, a university professor of ancient Greek, said anything can be accomplished if there is belief. Firewalkers enter another dimension, where they feel no fear, she said.
    Hriti, who is also the daughter of the head of the firewalkers, Kyriakos Hritis, whose family has passed down the ritual, said its origins lie in the ancient cult festivals to worship Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and fertility, and Orpheus, a poet and musician who had the power to charm wild forest animals with his music.
    A popular myth the villagers relate refers to the church of Saint Constantine in Kosti village catching fire during the middle ages. The villagers, hearing voices, braved the flames to rescue the icons and exited unscathed.
    The 'Anastenarides', in an ecstatic state, will dance for hours in front of the icons in the konaki. A bonfire is then lit in the forest, and moving around in a circle, they wait for the hot coals to be spread out before walking across.
    Chief of the firewalkers Kyriakos Hritis, 81, who oversees the ritual, said although he comes from a long line of Anastenarides, he himself has not walked on the coals, because, he says, the saints have not given him the sign yet to enter the fire.
    (Production: Alexandros Avramidis, Stamos Prousalis, Deborah Kyvrikosaios)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2024. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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