With the first mild winds and spells of warm weather Bulgarians shift eyes towards spring and drop in at closest relatives to beg forgiveness on Shrove Sunday.
Also known as Cheese Fasting this orthodox holiday is celebrated seven weeks before Easter and one week after the Meat Fasting to mark the beginning of the longest period of fasting during the whole year.
The Cheese Fasting day is time for forgiveness - the young ask the old for forgiveness, children apologize to their parents, they kiss the hand of the elderly saying: "Forgive me, mother, father...". "You are forgiven, God will forgive you" is the obligatory response that follows.
The festive dinner has the character of a ritual. The whole family - parents, sons, daughters and grandchildren gather in the evening of the holiday to feast with milk-containing meals. The excitement during dinner increases when the time for the custom called "hamkane" comes.
The most characteristic and essential rite on this day is the lighting of the ceremonial fires. At Shrove Sunday, the spirit gets purged by the forgiveness given and asked for, the body gets stronger if the person manages to jump over the fire, and the nature sends away evil forces by the ringing of the Koukeri bells. The dance of those masked men brings blessing and land fertility.
The traditional folk dances played on Cheese Fasting are the last for the winter festive cycle. No folk dances are performed during the Lent with the exception of the Buenetsa dance.