Dynamics of Cultural and Religious Processes in Areas of Depopulation

Cultural and religious processes in a given region influence the identity of the individual and the society as a whole. These processes also determine to a large extent the state of social relations in each regional and local community. The paper attempts to outline characteristic tendencies in the formation of a new (local) identity in the early 21st century through the methods of fieldwork and ethnological research. The research was conducted in the territory of Strandzha mountain in South-Eastern Bulgaria. Two specific examples are examined, that of nestinarstvo (also known as anastenaria in Greek) and that of the customs and ritual practices related to the chapel of St. Ivan Rilski in the village of Byala Voda. Through these examples, the paper investigates the specificity of customary-ritual complexes, while also drawing broader conclusions and outlining the dynamics of cultural and religious processes in depopulated regions.