Today Bulgarians celebrate Trifon Zarezan in the old style - the feast of the vine-growers and wine, also known as Zarezanovden, Trifun Chipia and Trifun Zarezoy.

The day of the Holy Martyr Tryphon from ancient times is associated with the first pruning of the vineyards.

The wine festival has ancient roots and is rich in rituals – says ethnographer Nedka Dimitrova:

“It is the duty of the mistress of the house to make a good ritual pie, to put a big bunch of grapes for fertility and prosperity, to pour the best wine in a cup, to slaughter the best chicken, to roast it, to fill it with rice and with all these dishes in a brand new red bag, the owner goes to honor his vineyard. Three sticks are thrown and wine is poured over them.”

About 100 million liters of wine were produced in Bulgaria from last year's grape harvest, growers and winemakers report.

Over 60 thousand hectares are grape plantations in Bulgaria.

There are more than 320 wineries in the country and their number is constantly growing, even in the pandemic. These companies produced 100 million liters of wine in 2021, which is nearly 20 million liters more than the previous year.

In terms of the amount of wine produced, Bulgaria ranks 21st in the world.

The Covid pandemic and the periodic closure or limitation of the capacity of the establishments affect the consumption of alcohol because usually both wine and spirits are consumed in the social environment, the sector explains.

According to national statistics, every Bulgarian has about 24 liters of wine consumed annually.

Valentine's Day is also celebrated around the world today. The holiday is named after a martyr saint revered in the Catholic Church. Born not far from Rome, in the II century BC. The tradition of sending sweets and cards decorated with flowers, ribbons and love tokens dates back to the 18th century.

/BNR

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