Anastenaria
Firewalkers honor Saint Constantine in mystery-shrouded, centuries-old rituals
Sotirios Gkaintatzis danced across burning coals, his stomping bare feet raising sparks and puffs of smoke as he held aloft an icon of Saints Constantine and Helen.
Gkaintatzis is the leader of a group of "anastenaria" - the devotees of St. Constantine who celebrate these centuries-old rites in a smattering of small villages near Thessaloniki, in northeastern Greece.
All you wanted to know about Sts. Constantine and Helen’s Feast Day (video)
Thursday, May 21, may feel as though half of Greece is celebrating because everyone knows a Constantine (Costas, Costis, Dinos) or Helen (Eleni, Elena, Konstantina, Dina, Lena etc) whose feast day it is on Thursday.