Impressive!

http://www.nestinari.eu/gallery.html

http://www.nestinari.eu/video.html

It is Desislava Jekova. Very brave girl.
You already informed about she:
http://forum.city-feet.com/index.php/showt....1603.hl.jekova

Here still its video which have been recorded by the camera with a "night mode", when brightness of coals the present:
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=LB9FoxBU1x0&vq=large

Excellent video, thank you! Watching it in night mode gives another perspective.

Desislava is not only brave, but beautiful too. I wonder how tough her soles are, and if she's still dancing or not anymore.

For the dancers, this requires not only concentration, but also a great faith. A fascinating dancing indeed.

Desislava dances now too. Even in the winter, for visitors of the Bulgarian mounting skiing resorts. It very much bewitches, when the girl leaves from hot coals to snow.



Last summer in one of the Bulgarian newspapers was interview of Desislava. There she has told that except concentration not to burn to it the tough skin on soles helps also.

Automatic traslate from Bulgarian: http://www.vsekiden.com/74295

Nestinarka Desislava Zhekova: I consider fire as the friend

Desislava Jekova come from Dobricha, is engaged nesinarstvo from 10 years. Since the childhood dances folklore dances, worked in Dobrudzhinsky ensemble. Now executes together with the partner íåñòèíàðñêèå dances in Albena, Varna, Balchike, Kranevo. Danced in villages Medovo, Burgasko and in village Bulgari, in east part of mountain Strandzha which is well-known the for the íåñòèíàðñêèìè dances.

Madam Jekova, what most of all involves you in nestinarstvo?

Itself nestinarstvo it is very beautiful, as ritual. Evening, stars, a luminescence of coals, music – all it makes favorable impression, feeling of kind magic, calmness, harmony. People come to see all it.

What do you feel, when dance on coals?

Happens differently. More often such sensation as though you go on hot sand. I don't feel of any pain, unpleasant sensations too aren't present. As though you go on small pebbles, each of which you feel. When I dance – I disconnect attention from all surrounding.

You run in some kind of a trance?

Yes, it is a trance kind. I am given to dance, I don't see surrounding people, I don't hear, about what speak around. People around say that with me there can be something. And I don't hear them and I do not see them.

How so it turns out, what you don't burn a foot?

It is difficult to explain, but it actually so. Why – I can not explain. Not that I never burned. Burned, but it is very rare. Probably, when the person is adjusted that it does when wishes something to reach, its organism reacts absolutely in another way. I am surprised, why so occurs. Why I sometimes burn? Not in each of evenings when I dance, I can be adjusted on this feeling of calmness and internal harmony. But, as a skin on my soles coarsened, small burns don't cause me serious harm.

Fire both burns, and clears. What you perceive it?

I perceive fire as the friend. It is a way when, dancing, you relax, leave from an everyday life, forget about problems. It as life, as the drink of air giving rest. I consider that fire clears, because sometimes when I am sick or something disturbs me, it helps me to find the decision. This my hobby which helps me to live is more high-grade, and not just «work-house, the house-work».

Whether there are distinctions in íåñòèíàðñêîì ritual depending on in what part of the country you executed it?

nestinarstvo as the custom everywhere is identical. Dance is executed with sacred Konstantin and Elena's icon as they are considered as our patrons. Preparation for ritual begins with singing under sounds of drums and gaida. During the same time the fire which should burn through to coals not less, than for six hours burns. The fire needs to burn six hours to save up enough of coals. Nestinari solve, when they leave on a fiery scene. Everyone executes ritual dance on the taste. Not all nestinari dance with an icon. But personally I dance with an icon.

Whether explain dances with an icon communication between Christianity and paganism?

Nestinarsky dances have arisen as Thracian pagan custom. Thracians worshipped to many gods. One of them was God of the Sun. As Thracians were a tribe of settled farmers, for them the fair weather was important to grow up a crop. Thracians worshipped to God of the Sun, kindling a sacrificial fire, passed through it, asking God of the Sun to protect them from troubles and to grant fertility.

Then tsar Boris has entered Christianity as the basic religion and has forbidden all pagan rituals. However not all Bulgarians have accepted Christianity and have kept a part of pagan rituals. Almost forgotten ceremony has been revived in the village Bulgari released from a Turk which burned villages and took the young population in slavery. There is a legend that in village Bulgari Turks have set fire church and one elderly woman, having seen that the church burns, in a panic began to take out from church everything that could. People thought that the woman won't manage to leave burning church, but wonderfully it left absolutely safe, bearing on hands sacred Konstantin and Elena's unique icon. Since then sacred Konstantin and Elena are considered as patrons íåñòèíàðñòâà. So there was a paganism and Christianity mixture as sacred Konstantin and Elena are a part of Christian religion. And can to people this custom was pleasant be simple and consequently it exists to this day.

Whether equally you are perceived by the Bulgarian and foreign tourists?

Opinions of Bulgarians are various. Some accept us, speaking: "Yes, it is very good that you keep a part of the Bulgarian tradition, the Bulgarian folklore". Others categorically against because we do it at restaurants. I will agree that basically we dance in entertaining institutions. But for own pleasure I also dance on May, 21st (on May, 21st the Christian church esteems sacred apostle Konstantin Velikogo and his mother Elena) and on June, 2nd (the same holiday on new chronology) in village Bulgari. Some people don't accept this custom as Christian and say that it is indecent - for dancing with an icon in hands. Others accept this tradition as Christian and it is interesting to them. At each person the representations.

Foreign tourists admire us. They consider us as the people possessing supernatural abilities. They don't perceive us as a part of history of Bulgaria as a folk custom, and look at us, as on the people having certain gift.

Hi Georgi

Thanks a lot for sharing all this, it's fascinating. Have you had the chance to see Desislava's soles? How do they look and feel after the dance? Are there any pictures of her feet, her soles?

You are her dance partner, aren't you?

Thanks again, it's very interesting to know about this ritual and about the girl who performs it. Please give my regards to her.

I'd also love to see some close-ups of her soles. Before, during and after.
What does she do to toughen her soles? Does she go barefoot all the time?
Can she walk on gravel and such also?
I liked when she said "But, as a skin on my soles coarsened, small burns don't cause me serious harm." but that's a relative term. Coarse compared to what? Does she have super thick callouses?

Just by luck as I was looking thru some other shots on flickr I found this: http://www.flickr.com/photos/53240095@N05/...in/photostream/

Yes, that would be cool. I wonder how the soles of her feet look and feel. She's brave!

Hi, DG2001!
No, I'm not Georgi Goranov. I great fan of Desislava. But, unfortunately, personally it never met.

Ohhh. This is another beauty 17-year old girl. She's name Mariya Jordanova. She dancing on fire with her father Iliyan Jordanov.

Video of Mariya:
http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=kJfTqUu1LB4&vq

Photo:





And special for you, DG2001, any close-ups of Mariya's soles after dance on hot coals:

Hi Georgi

That's impressive!

Could you please give us an idea of what Mariya and the other girls talk about in the video?

Thank you!

Under the black cinder layer, her soles seem to be red, am I wrong?

I wonder what does she say in the interview, could you please give us an idea, Georgi?

Excellent video and pictures, thanks a lot!

TV report about nestinars. Russian journalist trying to learn to walk on hot coals. Quickly run through the coals and shouts "I hurt, very hurt". Desislava slowly passes through the same coals says "it does not hurt "
See since 33:27
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=playe...SyVK6seY#t=2006

Hi Georgi

Excellent video, thanks a lot for sharing. Is it recent, is Desi still a Nestinari?