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Trifon Zarezan - Wine, Feasts, and Traditions

In Bulgaria, St. Trifon's Day was celebrated on February 14, but after the adoption of the Gregorian calendar, it moved to February 1 (February 14 remains "Vineyard Day"). Trifon Zarezan is the day of wine, wine growers, pubs, and gardeners, which should be celebrated with lively feasts, smiles, and fun.
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According to the Orthodox Church, the Holy Martyr Trifon was born around 225 AC in the village of Komsada. His life was filled with devotion to the Christian faith, and it was because of his refusal to reject it that he was tortured and beheaded.

 

Although he was declared a saint, there is a legend that in the beginning of February, while pruning his vineyard, Trifon saw the Mother of God with her child in her arms and laughed at her from nowhere. The Holy Mother was sad but decided not to answer him back. However, she passed through Trifon's house and told his wife to hurry to the vineyard to bandage the wound of her husband, who had cut off his nose. His wife was startled and immediately ran to him to find that he was drinking too much and pruning the old growths. She told him what the Holy Mother had told her, and he started laughing again, claiming that he was not drunk enough to cut off his nose. But then, when he reached for his nose, however, he swung the „kosher“ (sickle) and eventually cut it off. From this legend come the various names of the holiday - Zarezanovden, Trifun Chipia, Trifun Zarezoy, Trifun Drunkard.

 

It is believed that Trifon Zarezan dates back to the Thracian tribes. The quality wine they produced and were famous for helped the priests to contact the gods through its intoxicating effect. For this reason, they created a cult of it. Trifon Zarezan himself is believed to be the later "successor" of the Thracian god of fertility, wine, and merriment - Dionysus. Nothing is mentioned in his life that connects him with the cultivation of vines and wine, but the celebration day of the saint roughly coincides with the celebration of the feasts of Dionysius (in which the Bacchanalians danced with small sickles in hand, in honor of wine).

 

Whatever the origin of Trifon Zarezan, it is associated with many customs and rituals that are preserved today. For example, the housewife should get up early in the morning and knead the ritual bread, which is symbolically decorated with vine leaves, and cook a chicken stuffed with rice or bulgur. Everything is placed in a woolen bag, mandatory with a bottle of wine, and the man in the family is sent to the vineyards. The ritual "cutting" is done by cutting three sticks from three roots. A wreath is made from the sticks, which is placed on the hat, and the roots are watered with the wine from the bag, together with holy water and ashes left over from the burnt "Badnik" (cut tree trunk) on Christmas Eve. An important part of the event is the selection of the "King of the Vineyards", who must be a generous and respected person, but most importantly, under which “rule” the vineyards have enjoyed suitable climatic conditions and a good harvest. Then it is time for a loud feast, which includes all the men, with food and drinks, towing the "king" in a cart (chariot), passing through all the houses and courtyards to sprinkle with holy water and bless the owners. The hosts in each home welcome them with wine and a cauldron. The celebration ends in the "royal" house, where the "king" changes into new clothes and the feast continues until dawn. No one stays sober, because it portends a bad omen for the harvest of the year, and the quality of various wines is assessed in the morning, depending on whether the celebrants have a headache.

 

Cheers to all connoisseurs and producers of this magical and traditional drink in the Bulgarian lands!

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