Snejana - February in Bulgaria

February or *Malak Sechko* - this is how elderly people in Bulgaria call the month for repentance, dedicated to the god of death – Ferrius
1st of February – TRIFON ZAREZAN
In the classical folk calendar of the Bulgarians the first spring festival is Trifon Zarezan, the day of wine-growers and pub-keepers – successor of the days dedicated to the Thracian god of merry-making and wine Dionysus. According to some students of Thracian culture, Dionysus is the creator of the world and the patron of birth. For that reason his symbol, the wine, is also moist and warm. The day is also called *the noseiess*. A legend tells how Virgin Mary pronounced a curse on Trifon to cut his nose because he made fun of her. And the nose is an old symbol of masculinity.
On this day very early in the morning the woman of the house makes a ritual or *trifonski* bread, slaughters a black hen and cooks it. When sun rises everybody starts with songs and music, for the wine-yards. There each owner digs with the sickle round the roots and feeds the roots with ritual bread at four points. He spreads ashes about and then he cuts three sticks from the vine. He twines them into a wreath, ties it with a red thread, makes the sign of the cross three times and pronounces the blessing: *May this year be prosperous! Let’s gather a full bushel from each vine, let’s pour a bucket of wine out of every stump so that it flows over the threshold!*
They eat – there, among the vines. The man who has produced the largest quantities of wine during the year becomes *king*, blessing by the king of the preceding year. Then, singing and dancing, driving the king in an open cart / in some regions carried on the arms of two men/ so that *his legs do not touch the ground*, as a messenger of God, they all start for king’s house where festivities last through the night.
TRIFON also means *lover of merriment and pleasure*.