On May 21, the Orthodox Church honors the memory of the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Tsars Constantine and Helena. In Strandzha, this day is associated with the firecracker games, which are organized in the old style on June 3 in Bulgari. On the eve of the holiday, the Sliven Metropolitan Arseny sent an archpastoral message to Orthodox Christians, in which he urged them not to participate in such rituals. It is published on the website of the Sliven Metropolis. His predecessor, grandfather Joanikiy, also made similar statements on several occasions.
The message of Metropolitan Arseny states:
"It is known and has been repeatedly noted that in "firecracker walking" There is nothing original Bulgarian that would represent any of our "indigenous traditions". The fire-walking in question has been known since ancient times, with such practices already attested to in Ancient Greece by, for example, the poet Vigilius, the historian Pliny, the geographer Strabo and the philosopher Iamblichus, who associated them with the cult of various pagan deities such as Apollo and Artemis. Specialists in Chinese antiquity know that a festival of "renewal of the fire, consisting of stoking the fire" was known in China as early as the third millennium BC. Similar Chinese customs, in which priests, magicians and others participated, have been described in detail. The fire-walking of priests dressed in white clothes is also known in Japan, and similar practices are characteristic of some strange cult societies in India. That is, we emphasize again that in this "custom" there is nothing original that points to any specific Bulgarian tradition, but there is an ordinary plagiarism and imitation of pagan cults from the Far East.
The Holy Orthodox Church, resting on the solid rock of Holy Scripture, Holy Tradition and the Rules of the One Holy, Universal and Apostolic Church, has always expressed its clear and categorical attitude towards pagan practices and customs. In the book of Deuteronomy we read: “There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or daughter pass through the fire (as is the case with firecrackers), or one who interprets omens, or one who casts spell (Deuteronomy 18:10-12).
Very categorical instructions on how we should treat such pagan practices are contained in the 71st Apostolic Canon, the 83rd Canon of St. Basil the Great, in the interpretations of Bishop Nicodemus, etc. In short, in a spiritual and moral aspect, fire-fighting has nothing and cannot have anything to do with Orthodox Christian morality. Rather, we can say that the way it is practiced in our country is a formal, external expression of cult practices characteristic of some Eastern totalitarian sects. It is somewhat comforting that our “fire-fighting“ does not reach these frightening depths, but remains on the surface of commercialized entertainment for bored tourists.
The thing is that in the so-called “fire-fighting dances“ Orthodox icons and other sacred relics are cunningly used, which misleads our uninitiated fellow citizens into believing that the dances in question have something to do with Orthodox Christian ritual and mysticism. In order to avoid any such deception, I, as your metropolitan, beg you, dear brothers and sisters, with the words of the Apostle: "Stand firm and hold to the traditions which you learned, whether by word or by letter!" (2 Thess. 2:15). Turn away from pagan customs and practices and act in a Christian manner, advising once and twice those who participate in or organize these pagan rituals - the firecracker games, and draw their attention to the fact that they are sinning and condemning themselves (cf. Titus 3:10-11). Do not despise or hate them, but pray patiently for their understanding.
We should not be double-minded and make any compromise with our faith: either we are Orthodox or we are pagans;. “For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? What fellowship has light with darkness?... Or what fellowship has faith with unbelief? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God, as God has said: “I will dwell in them and walk among them; I will be their God, and they shall be My people” (2 Cor. 6:14-17).
We oblige all the priestly clergy and all Orthodox Christians not to attend and not to participate in any way in the firecracker games.
We forbid the firecracker games to start from an Orthodox church and to provide holy icons for these blasphemous rituals.
We address a fatherly request to the organizers and participants in such entertainments, if they cannot completely give them up, then at least not to use Orthodox icons and other Christian symbols and to stop deceiving both themselves and those observing this pagan ritual that it has anything to do with Christianity, because it does not. We also ask them to hear and remember that God should not be blasphemed, and we ask them to pay attention to one regularity, namely, that in life, as a rule, when His laws are violated, sooner or later a sanction follows. This is so because the laws by which the Church is guided are not invented by us, but are decreed by God Himself, Who monitors their observance in His unknown ways."