Trifuntsi - Triohontsi

Winter Virgin Mary, Simeon the Righteous' Day,

Wolves' Holidays - 1st, 2nd, 3rd of February

 

Simeon the Righteous

 
        This is a holiday observed in honour of the wolves (Wolf Days) who according to the common belief "go crazy" during these days. In order to protect themselves from the wolves people should observe a lot of prohibitions: they should not work on these days, the women should not spin, knit or weave. One of the strictest prohibitions is not to use the scissors so that the jaws of the wolves won't open. On these days the dough-trough is turned upside down for this same reason.
      The women should not sweep in the yard, nor should they throw out the dust. Bread is kneaded and it is put in the forage of the animals so that wolves won't attack them.
   In the Rhodope mountain the third day is also known as Christ's Mother and it is celebrated primarily by the young and childless women. If they want to get pregnant they should bake a loaf of bread made of corn, then they should break it and give the pieces to the neighbours. This day (Simeon's Day) is considered to be one of the worst during the year. It is believed that if a woman works on this day then the child she gives bird to will be born with a scar, that is why the work prohibition is most severely observed by the pregnant women.  It is also the Name day of everyone named Simeon, Simeonka, Simona, Moncho.
        In some of the regions during these days people foretell about the weather and the crops during the year. It is believed that if the weather is fine on the second day of the holidays such will it be too during the next 40 days. If snow begins to fall in big flakes, then the bees will swarm well. In the region of Pleven people foretell about the weather during the year just like they do on Saint Vassil's Day.
    In some regions they light the fire-brands to frighten away the snakes and the lizards.
   If you take money on the second day so will you do the whole year; if you lend money someone so will you be doing the whole year long.
   Church Holiday: On the 2nd of February Bulgarian Orthodox Church celebrates the so called Winter Virgin Mary. This is one of the four holidays dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The day coincides with the 40th day of Jesus' birth when Virgin Mary went to the Temple in Jerusalem.

Weather in Bulgarian folk riddles

 By tradition Bulgarians welcomed the New Year in with soothsaying about the weather. Guesswork and weathercasts had to find out about periods of colds and heats, dry or wet weather, winds or fogs. Climatic conditions were crucial for the traditional occupation of Bulgarians – farming. No wonder then that Bulgarian folklore abounds in rituals and verbal creations focused on the weather.

      “Who can make bridges without hammering?” asks a Bulgarian folk riddle. The answer reminds of the one-time severe winters when ice blocked rivers bank-to-bank, thus making a bridge for people. There are other weather riddles too: What is this that does not burn in fire and does not drown in water? It is once again ice. A paradoxical riddle seeks to identify the phenomenon described as follows: “Boasts about in the cold, trembles when warm”. The answer is snow. Another riddle portrays snow as a huge fur-coat spreading over fields, woods and mountains, houses and villages. In a folk tale snow did not exist when Adam and Eve lived on Earth, after expulsion from Eden. When however, they resettled with God he assigned them with the task of taking down snow to Earth, and then – lifting it back. Adam’s job was easier – he only had to shake his clothes a little to provide humans with some snow. But when snow was to melt, Eve took over. She together with her granddaughter exhaled warm air, which melted the snow. Winter saints like Saint Demetrios, Saint Nicholas and Saint Athanasius were all lords of the snow, the ice and the freezing cold.
    Based on experience village people learned how to make weathercasts, even long-term ones. A full-year weathercast was provided though a single ritual. On the eve of the 1st of  January women arranged 12 onion peels adding a pinch of salt to each one of them. The guesswork they carried out on the next morning – the first morning of the New Year. If salt had become damp in some of the peels this meant the respective month would be wet, with a lot of rainfalls and snow showers. In traditional beliefs 1 January weather was indicative of the whole year. Watching the first three days of February, nicknamed Trifuntsi, farmers could forecast weather conditions in February, March and April. A dry March, rainy April and cool May would bring rich harvest during the year’s second half.
     Riddles, proverbs and beliefs have been attached to every single meteorological phenomenon. Grey bear runs down the ravine – this is the way to present fog. People believed that fog was closed in a cave. In the past each village had a spot that functioned as a meteorological station. When fog or clouds were reported there, this meant either snow or rain. The fog’s colour was important in predicting whether the rain would be gentle or whether snow showers would turn into a blizzard. Dark gray fog not letting sunrays through stopped the fields from growing. Dense fog meant wolves would become more aggressive and attack villages more often. Experience proved that fog was worse than rain and snow. So in folklore fog is compared to a gray dragon eating the white corn and the white grapes of the land. Light clouds emerged in a lovely image of a fluffy distaff of wool. When thunderstorm came, knocking on the sky’s door echoed on the earth.
     In Bulgaria’s rich weather folklore riddles and tales paint a lovely picture of nature’s secrets and people’s efforts to decode its signs.

 

 

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