Listed 7 sub titles with search on: Festivals and fairs for destination: "AGIA ELENI Village SERRES".
The village of St. Eleni is very well-known for "Anastenaria", a festivity that is celebrated in bacchic greatness on 21st May, the day of St. Constantine and Eleni. Anastenaria is of great interest both from the folklore and religious points of view, because this festivity managed to preserve devotional elements from the ancient worship of Dionysus. This custom has been brought from Thrace and to be more specific, from some isolated Thracian villages, which remained unaffected by the influence of modern civilization. The believers of the peculiar worship managed to preserve the Dionysian worship by using extremely primitive elements.
Anastenarides, the modern Bacchus-Christians who live in small societies, create a special class, an "order" we could say, similar to the dionysian "ancient troops". These people hardly ever go to church but they own private temples called "Konaki" (lod-ging). Their top leader is "Saint's anastenariko icon" and their top prelate is Archianastenaris,who is a diviner, exorcist, therapist, and founder of temples and houses. The unique custom of Firewalking or Anastenaria includes many different and interesting rites and mystagogies such as: ceremonial animal sacrifice, inspired by God mystic's ecstasy, firewalking of the inspired. The ceremony starts on 20th May with animal sacrifices and the transfer of the icons from the village' s church to "Konaki", where sleeplessness and general preparation takes place.
In the morning of the 21st May, Anastenarides bring the bell-icons to Agiasma, a holy place in a small wood. These icons, which are called "Hares", portray the holy couple of St. Constantine and St. Eleni. According to Anastenarides, it's the "Hares" icons which give them the ability to walk on fire. In the afternoon of the 21st May the first fire walking takes place, leaving all the spectators speechless. The holy fire is lit by a particular mystic, who is entitled to it because of an ancestral heritage. When the fire settles down and a thick coal fire has formed, they call Anastenarides who appears in pomp and they start dancing in a circle around the holy coal fire, while the music exasperates the soul, increases the rhythm and the volume. The sonorous drum "whips" Anastenarides' nerves and in a stimulating rhythm , which keeps on precipitating, leads the mystics to ecstasy.
In a while the Saint shows the way and the first mystic occupied by the holy mania, walks barefoot on the coal fire and dances while he holds an icon or a holy hanky. The mystic's body is not harmed in any way during that time and that' s because of a chemical reaction which remains unknown to science. This nonburning phenomenon which is found all over the world and during the centuries, remains a mystery that still needs to be solved. Based on a religious opinion, firewalking is based on the faith of duality. Anastenarides believe that they vanish the Evil spirit with the help of the firewalking and to be more specific, with the help of the Saint, the representative of the Good spirit. In general, this Thracian worship, which has been preserved from the Ancient times, preserves many remains of the Dionysian worship and proves the uninterrupted continuation of dionysiasm until today. In other words, it is a Christianized form of the very old worship of Dionysus.
Kalogeros (the Monk) is another Thracian custom which takes place in the village of St. Eleni on Quinquagesima Monday. This festivity is presented by Anastenarides, too. But this time, there are also mimes who create the troupe: the king, the prince, the halter maker, the monk, the bride, the decrepit woman with the premature baby, the gypsies with the bear and finally the Kouroutzidis (guards).
As soon as the troupe has visited all the village's houses, the inhabitants gather in the square, where the preparation of the symbolic field for the sowing takes place and the very important scene of the death and resurrection of the Monk. As soon as the Monk's resurrection is announced, the troupe starts dancing in a circle, round the symbolically strewn field, with the king as the leader of the dance. After the end of the dance Anastenaris gives his blessing to the people who stan leaving. This Thracian worship, also includes elements of the ancient Dionysiasm.
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