Love or Wine? February 14th the Bulgarian Way

Love or Wine?

Planning on spending February the 14th in Sofia? Here’s what to do.

A lot of people have waited to celebrate today’s holiday, St. Valentine’s Day. At least a lot of women. Now, if you are a guy, you might not like this holiday particularly much. Guess what – in Bulgaria you have an alternative – you could also celebrate the Day of St. Tryphon, also known as the holiday of all winegrowers, wine producers and gardeners.

St Tryphon’s Day

The Day of St. Tryphon, also known as Tryphon Zarezan, is a Christian Orthodox holiday. Therefore it is also celebrated in other Balkan countries such as Greece or Serbia. In Southern Europe, February marks the beginning of the long cycle of processing the vines. According to the tradition, on this day the women in Bulgaria get up early, knead and bake ritual bread, often decorated with vine colours. Men, on the other hand, set off to the vine fields, where they perform the main ritual – pruning of the vines. This symbolic action marks the transition from winter to spring. Apart from those rural traditions, it goes without saying that on this day everybody is supposed to drink a lot of good wine 🙂

Although St. Valentine’s Day is not a traditional holiday here, globalization has brought it to Bulgaria and today many young people celebrate and enjoy it. However, the old traditions are not forgotten, so we still celebrate St. Tryphon’s day. If you happen to be in Bulgaria on February 14^th, you have a choice – you could either praise love or celebrate the good qualities of wine. Or why not just combine both holidays and celebrate with your beloved one over a glass of wine?

Happy Valentine’s and Cheers from Free Sofia Tour 🙂

More about February the 14th.

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