Happy (belated) Valentine's Day!!

Wow! It feels like it was just Christmas; I can't believe it's already Valentine's Day! Actually, it's the day after Valentine's Day, but who's counting? Pete and I had a great date night last night. We went out to dinner at a nearby restaurant and then came home and watched Neopolian Dynamite. I only got him candy, but he got me all of this bath stuff, some flowers, and a homemade card. It made me smile.

Although Valentine's Day is catching on in Bulgaria, February 14th is actually a day to celebrate wine! It's called Trifon Zareszon. Ani, the office manager and official "lifesaver" around these parts, sent us some information on it. If your interested, read on :)
TRIFON ZAREZAN
TRIFONTSI
(The holiday of vinegrowers and vintners)
This is a cycle of three holidays: The first one is called Trifon Zarezan and it is devoted to St. Trifon. The second one is devoted to the Virgin Mary, and the third one - to St. Simon, the successor of God. This cycle of holidays is celebrated at the beginning of February.

TRIFON ZAREZAN
The most respected holiday of the cycle is dedicated to St. Trifon. According to the legend, he cut off his nose while pruning the vines in his vineyard. Since then, on this day, the villagers have been pruning back their vines believing that this act will bring them richer vintage. In the morning the wife sends her husband- vinegrower with a bucklitsa (a small wooden bottle which contains some holy water) and a decorated with clusters of grapes moulded out of dough.
After being solemnly seen off, the men make for the vineyards. When they arrive in their vineyards everybody meets the sunrise crossing themselves three times. After that, every vinegrower prunes the first three vinestocks and pours the vine with some red wine and holy water. This traditional ritual marks the beginning of the new vinegrowing season. After finishing their job the men start celebrating. Before sitting around the table they choose the king of the vintage who is called Trifon. Traditionally, this is the oldest and the most experienced among the vine growers, whose wine is the best. He places himself at the head of the table with a small bunch of basil tied with a woollen red thread and the three first cut vine-stocks. Then, the blessed king gets on a cart and makes a round of the vineyard. All the time the king gives his blessing in order to have rich vintage. Nowadays, the holiday takes place mostly in the open air, in the woods or in the vineyards. Women cannot participate in the holiday and they do not know what is going on outside the village. Men drink and eat a lot. Everybody sits on the ground. They share the food and the drinks that everybody has brought. The vine-growers are together all the time and celebrate with music and dances. After that, they go back to the village carrying the king in their hands. They visit all the houses where they are given holy water and wine. The same evening the king invites the men of the village into his house. His wife has already laid the table. By tradition, he treats all the participants in the holiday. If the king and the men do not drink enough, the belief reads that it will not be a vintage year.
There is another tradition connected to this holiday. Very early in the morning the master of the house with a friend of his go to his orchard. There, he stops near the tree that was not fruitful the previous year. He takes his axe and threatens the tree with cutting it down. At the last moment his friend stops, promising that the next year will be fertile. Performing this ritual, the master of the house wants to intimidate the fruit-tree hoping that the following year will be fertile.
The second holiday of the cycle is dedicated to the Virgin Mary. This is a women's holiday which is entirely different from Trifon Zarezan holiday. Its main characteristic is the so-called weaving prohibitions. Everything that must be cut, mended or sewn is done the previous day. The prohibitions are especially strict for pregnant women. On this day they pay attention who enters first their house. It is believed that if it is a man the expected child will be a boy.
Also, on this day, the axe is stuck into a tree. People believe that the evil will fly away with the bird which was in the tree. This is a holiday of fertility.
The cycle ends with the holiday of St. Simon, the successor of God