Bulgarian 'take' on February 14th

BULGARIANS CELEBRATE LOVE, WINE, FORGIVENESS
Bulgaria has been marking two holidays on February 14 since the fall of communism in the late eighties, when the day of the sweethearts came to the country. This year a trick of the calendar has added one more holiday to this day – Sirni Zagovezni.
Previously completely ignored by lovebirds in Bulgaria, St. Valentine's Day enjoyed escalating popularity over the years of the country's transition to Western-like lifestyle.
Gradually, February 14 became the date for exchanging love messages across catholic countries and St. Valentine became the patron saint of lovers.
The date is now marked by sending poems and simple gifts such as flowers, hearts and teddy bears.
As lovers celebrate St Valentine's Day, many Bulgarians insist February 14 should be reserved for a traditional Bulgarian celebration - the feast of St. Trifon Zarezan, the patron of vine growing and wine producing.
The St. Trifon Zarezan day offers a nice alternative to those who don't have a loved one to share the holiday with, but can still find a reason to celebrate.
The professional holiday of vine-growers and wine-makers has been officially celebrated since 1962. When the Gregorian Calendar was officially introduced by the Bulgarian Orthodox Church in 1968, the church services moved to February 1, but the Day of Vine and Wine is still commemorated on February 14.
According to old traditions, the culmination is the moment of choosing the "king of the vines" - usually a diligent vine-grower, who is thus said to sweep all good luck.
Bulgarians have one more reason to celebrate on February 14 this year - "Sirni Zagovezni", a popular Christian Orthodox holiday in Bulgaria, which takes place seven weeks before Easter and marks the beginning of the Great Lent, the longest period of fasting throughout the year.
According to the ancient Christian tradition on that day people beg each other forgiveness for their wrong-doings during the year. Usually the younger ask the older for forgiveness and are also asked to forgive on the part of their parents, relatives, friends or just the people they live or work with.
In the past a special custom was being performed in the evening. A piece of halvah was tied on a long thread, hanging from the ceiling (a hard-boiled egg or some coal is an alternative). The thread is swayed around in a circle and the participants keep on trying to catch the lump in their mouth.
The Bulgarian villages have preserved the "Kukeri" ritual, in which the masked Kukeri dance in the last days of the winter, just before nature comes back to life. The participants in this ritual are male only, dressed in sheepskin garments and wearing scary masks and chanove (copper bells) on their belts, dancing and singing songs and chants, with the intention to scare away the evil spirits or ghosts which people believed came back to the living ones in winter.