Trifon Zarezan: Bulgaria's wine day on 14 February and Varna

Trifon Zarezan is Bulgaria’s day of vines and wine, celebrated on 14 February. Growers make the first pruning cuts of the year, sprinkle the vines with red wine and feast in the vineyard. In 2027, 14 February is a Sunday and coincides with Valentine’s Day, while the church feast of St Tryphon is on 1 February.

What happens on Trifon Zarezan?

According to BNT, men go out to the vineyards, cross themselves and cut the first three twigs, which are then washed with red wine, holy water and ash kept since Christmas Eve. Women bake ritual bread and stuff a chicken with rice, and everyone eats, drinks and dances among the vines. The grower with the best harvest is crowned “king” of the vineyard, and the more wine poured for him, the richer the next harvest is said to be. Ethnographers link the custom to ancient festivals of Dionysus, and BNR notes that the Thracians saw wine as a gift from the gods.

Why are there two dates, 1 and 14 February?

The Bulgarian Orthodox Church switched to the revised Julian calendar in 1968, so St Tryphon, a 3rd-century martyr, is now honoured on 1 February. Most people kept the old-style date, which falls on 14 February. Some villages hold the ritual on the church date: BTA filmed one in Zmeyovo, near Stara Zagora, on 1 February 2025.

Trifon Zarezan or Valentine’s Day?

Many people simply celebrate both. Vagabond describes a friendly rivalry since Valentine’s Day spread after the fall of communism, and in February 2026 the Bulgarian Museums Association offered couples a glass of red wine with an exhibition ticket, as reported by BTA. On 14 February 2027 expect wine menus and couples’ dinners side by side.

What it means for Varna

Varna is a coastal city, not a wine village, but its wine scene is busy. In 2026 VarnaWINEkend held its 10th edition on 17–19 July in the Archaeological Museum courtyard, and Urban Wine Fest filled Nezavisimost Square on 16–17 October with over 40 Bulgarian wines and a focus on the northern Black Sea region, according to Bulgarian Tourism. The Ministry of Tourism also announced a national partnership to promote Bulgarian wine and wine routes on 27 July 2026.

No Varna programme for Trifon Zarezan 2027 has been published yet. Check visit.varna.bg and the Varna events for February 2027 page in January. Nearby Dobrich held a vine-cutting ritual and awarded its best home-made wines on 14 February 2026.

How can you mark it in Varna?

• Order a local white or a Mavrud with dinner: see Bulgarian drinks: rakia, wine, boza for tastings near the city.
• Greet growers with “Chestit Trifon Zarezan!” (Happy Trifon Zarezan).
• Plan around the rest of the year with the Varna festivals calendar and when to visit Varna.