First info center on ancient rite 'fire-dancing' opens in Bulgaria

The first tourist information center dedicated to fire-dancing opened on Tuesday in the small village of Bulgari, the only place in Bulgaria where this ancient rite is still followed.
The rite, which has been included in the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage, is called Nestinarstvo, and has been practiced since time immemorial in the area of Strandja mountain near the Black Sea, where the village is located.
Presentations of a book about the Nestinarstvo and a 3D documentary "Footsteps in the Fire" were a part of the opening ceremony of the two-storey information center.
"This center will be a major prerequisite for the development of cultural tourism, especially in Strandja and Bulgari," the village mayor Nedka Lapcheva told Xinhua.
Later on Tuesday evening, as always on June 3, dancing on glowing embers, the climax of Nestinarstvo ritual, will begin in the village center, traditionally attended by many spectators from the country and abroad.