The Commodification of the Anastenaria: The Effects of Tourism in Lagadhas

Abstract

The Anastenaria is a firewalking ritual performed in towns and villages in and around Thessaloniki in the north of Greece. The ritual was originally performed by Greek Orthodox Christians in villages in what was then the north-eastern part of Turkish Thrace. The Anastenarides performed their ritual in private for over twenty years, in fear of persecution from the Church and the local population. But in 1947, the Anastenaria was performed publicly for the first time and since that day has become known across the world.