A Bulgarian girl spins a ball of fire during celebrations of Sirni Zagovezni in the village of Lozen near the capital, Sofia, on Sunday. Sirni Zagovezni is an Orthodox Christian holiday during which the celebrators chase away evil spirits with fire rituals.
Does anyone know anything more about this "ritual"?
No wonder people think we are some sort of cult!
Katya
Ekaterina wrote:
A Bulgarian girl spins a ball of fire during celebrations of Sirni Zagovezni in the village of Lozen near the capital, Sofia, on Sunday. Sirni Zagovezni is an Orthodox Christian holiday during which the celebrators chase away evil spirits with fire rituals.
Does anyone know anything more about this "ritual"?
No wonder people think we are some sort of cult!
Katya
Aren't you Orthodox, there's no such thing, the Church does it's CLeansing Rituals thats the only way to get rid of the Demons, BTW It's a Church teaching that if a NON-Orthodox does not show signs of Intrest in Converting to Orythodoxy we shouldn't talk about Orthodox things with her/him, and you are all doing that by allowing "Ebor" to post on "Euphrosynoscafe.com" 
Iconophilli,
Your arrogance know no bounds, it might be better if you refrain from condemning Orthodox people as nonOrthodox. At this point Ebor exhibits more Orthodox spirit than you do.
And for your edification:
SIRNI ZAGOVEZNI (the first Sunday before Lent)
(Sirnitza, Maslenitza)
One of the favorite holidays for the Bulgarians in the early spring is Sirni Zagovezni. It is also called Sirnitza, Proshka, Pokladi, Kourkouvnitza, Olalia, etc. In the calendar it is always on Sunday – seven
weeks before Easter. The Sirni Zagovezni week is accompanied by many rituals to secure fertility, prosperity, and health. On Tuesday and Thursday before sunrise, and on Sunday at sunset young and old get together in the square to dance quick horos.
In this way, through the ritual called “Gora” (forest) people hope to stimulate earth, to make wheat grow high and cotton buds burst. In the evening young people build fires, throw arrows and swirl fiery hoops, with incantations for health, longevity, for relatives and friends, for love: “Olalia, priest’s hat! Here’s, old priest, the arrow, give me the young girl! I’ll give her a white distaff so she gives me a white cradle!” Or: “Hey! The higher the arrow flies the longer my father lives!” Before going home, the young people “take pardon” from the elder folks. After that in each house the woman smokes the table with incense, the people in the house "give each other pardon" and the man hangs a red thread from the beam on the ceiling. On it the woman ties, consecutively, a coal, a boiled egg and cheese, and turns it in a circle to the right. The others try to take a bite at the respective symbol. The one who catches the first will care for home, the second one will be lucky throughout the year, the third one will live longest. Then they burn the thread, naming and divining which harvest will be richest.
Orthodox Bulgarians Celebrate "SIRNI ZAGOVEZNI" as the Great Lent Begins
Sirni Zagovezni - Shrove Sunday - was one of the best loved festivals coming at the close of winter. It always fell on the Sunday just seven weeks before Easter, marking the beginning of the Great Lent, the longest period of fasting throughout the year. In its way, the festival also served to mark the beginning of spring.
In olden days, most typical of Sirni Zagovezni was the building of large bonfires in the hills surrounding towns and villages; either one communal bonfire, or each of the individual neighborhoods made their own. The fires would be built in higher areas, for it was believed that no hailstorm would strike the places lit up by them.
Young and old would gather round the bonfire where they apologized to each other, to forgive and forget the small wrongs and old quarrels in the name of friendliness and understanding. Usually the younger ask the older for forgiveness and are also asked to forgive on the part of their parents, relatives, friends or just the people they live or work with.
The young men would jump over the fire "for health". It was believed that the one who jumped farthest would be the first to get married come autumn.
In some parts of the country the young men would fling burning wooden arrows with special devices made for the purpose. This was done from the surrounding hilltops, for the arrows had to fall exactly in the yards they were directed at.
The training for this would start on January 18, the Day of St Athanasius (Father of Orthodoxy). Each arrow was dedicated to someone, be it father, mother, or sweetheart. It would be mostly to young ladies who waited in the yards with pots full of water at hand, for the arrows were a sign of love. The girl who collected the largest number of arrows was considered to be the most beautiful and desirable young lady in the village.
