Trifon Zarezan Day!

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Today I will not be celebrating Valentine’s Day, I will be celebrating a much better day, Trifon Day! What is Trifon Day, you may ask. Trifon Day or Trifon Zarezan Day to be exact is Wine Day!

Trifon Zarezan is a Bulgarian holiday (although the rest of the world should really consider adopting it) that celebrates wine drinking. I had no idea this day even existed until a Bulgarian friend asked a group of us if we wanted to celebrate it.

According to my highly unscientific research, which consisted mainly of a quick Google search and asking my Bulgarian friend, St. Trifon is the Bulgarian saint of vine-growers, wine makers, and vineyards. Trifon Day is related to an ancient Thracian custom honoring Dionysus, the Greek god of wine. St. Trifon had a vineyard himself and he would often prune it.  Legend goes that one day he was out pruning his vines and the Virgin Mary passed by, he made fun of her (for having an illegitimate child) and she decided to punish him and condemned him to cut his nose with his pruning shears, which he promptly did. This is where the Zarezan comes from which in Bulgarian means truncated, hence the nickname Trifon Zarezan. Trifon day marks the ending of winter and the onset of spring, it is a celebration of fruitfulness. In the villages people gather in the vineyards, the men cut down the trees that did not bear fruit the past season and the woman bake festive bread decorated with symbols of fruitful vines. Once the pruning is done, everyone gathers to eat, drink and dance. The man who harvested the most grapes and made the best wine the previous year is crowned the King. The King and his subjects (i.e. all the village people) must get drunk in order to ensure an abundant harvest for the coming year.

Although I will not be celebrating by pruning vines, I will be celebrating this day by drinking wine tonight!

Fun French Holiday Traditions

Personally, I am all about traditions. 

And not just holiday traditions, but family traditions, friend traditions and even personal traditions. One of my traditions I am most proud of is actually an annual reunion with some college friends from Student Government. We get together once year, usually for an Orioles game, relive the glory days from college and catch up. It's always a blast. The best thing about traditions is that they get more valuable every year they survive (Mine is going on six years!). So, while writing my French 101 wine post I wondered - what are some typical French holiday traditions?

Here are some of my favorites:

• Children place their shoes in front of the fire place in hopes that Santa will leave gifts in their shoes (an interesting alternative to the stocking).
• In 1962, an official French law declared that all letters to Santa will receive a postcard in response.
• For Christmas Eve Church-goers, Le Réveillon is a long and luxurious dinner held on Christmas Eve (and New Year's Eve) following evening church services.

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They have fun holiday food traditions too:

• La bûche de Noël (Yule Log); this delicious dessert is representative of the piece of firewood used to warm the home on Christmas day.
• La Galette des Rois (King 's Cake); this traditional cake is associated with the Epiphany. The baker hides a trinket (traditionally a plastic baby to represent Jesus) inside the cake. Everyone cuts a slice of cake and the one who discovers the toy is made king (or queen) for the day and wears a crown. The king may also choose a queen by putting the toy in her glass and everyone applauds. Tradition says the next party is thrown at the King's expense (some honor, right?!) I think this yummy dish needs to make an appearance at my next holiday party!

What are some of your favorite traditions?

Happy Holidays and Cheers!

Happy Easter - Feliz Pascua - Frohe Ostern

Second post from Spain!

Happy Easter to those celebrating! In light of the holiday, today's post provides a general comparison of Easter celebrations (and typical treats) in the United States, Spain and Austria.

Easter in the United States.

 Specifically speaking, (and not trying to get too religious) Easter is the Christian celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus. Personally however, most of my childhood memories from Easter involve waking up to an Easter basket filled with candy, the family gathering for an Easter lunch, and the ever important Easter egg hunt. While these are very found memories, in comparison, it seems that Easter celebrations in the United States (like basically every other holiday) bigger and more mass-consumerized compared to the celebrations of Europe. 

In the U.S., most secular Easter celebrations are centered around the children. American families purchase an excess of plastic eggs, baskets, fake grass, bunnies, toys and candy. In fact, I learned that Easter is the second best candy selling holiday - after Halloween. (My favorite are starburst jelly beans!). Other common American traditions include dying Easter eggs, Easter egg hunts (which start off inclusive as small children, but may morph into heated competitions as the siblings get older), Easter egg rolls (at the White House), and Easter parades. Overall, Americans still remember and celebrate the religious reasons behind Easter, however, whether or not one attends a religious ceremony rather than simply take a day off to spend with their family depends more on the individual family tradition.

Easter in Spain.

The Spanish population is approximately 73% Catholic and, as a result, Easter is the second most celebrated holiday after Christmas. Overall, it seems that their traditions are similar to those of the United States, which include parades, family gatherings, candy and Easter eggs. However, these Spanish celebrations seem (at least from the outside) more religious and less consumerized than those of the U.S.

For example, it seems that many Spanish stores still feature candy and chocolate eggs. See the pictures featured below, on the right, a common window front with chocolate eggs and cakes, on the left, a similar (but more high end window) complete with a large chocolate chicken and cute paper chicks. However, it seems less popular to spend time decorating the eggs.

Further, these displays are different from the United States because: (1) They were way more difficult to find (and not literally on every street corner and in every store), and (2) people did not seem to buy a lot of these goods. Similarly, (though I have yet to see one in Barcelona) in much of the south of Spain, night time processions/parades seem popular during the Holy Week. These processions involve incense, candles, drums and cloak covered penitents. Overall, it seems the Spanish focus is on family time and remembering the religion behind Easter. (Stay tuned for updates as I was invited to join a Spanish family for their Easter dinner and may provide updates on their traditional dishes).

UPDATE! Our stop in Zaragosa

Kelley and RH in a cool alley of shops and bars

In addition to the the adventures outlined in this post previously, our group also made a stop in Zaragoza on Easter Sunday. Zaragoza is the capital city of the province. The drive to and from was interesting for two key reasons. First, our vehicle of choice (to which I lovingly referred to as the party van) was basically the normal size of an American sedan. However, in Europe it is commonly used as a cargo van - but we all loved it. Second, while the drive started as mostly highway, once we left town the landscape quickly started to resemble an exotic nature reserve. The area is known for its varying landscapes, ranging from deserts to think forest, meadows and mountains. The area always seemed like it should be abandoned of all civilization, yet every couple miles I would see people hiking, biking or picnicking - it was definitely a great area. Finally, if you have the opportunity to drive through, look for the large wooden black bulls that line the highway. Apparently, these bulls were former advertisements for alcohol and now line the highway as a community cultural symbol. I counted 10 on my trip - I dare you to do better!

Once we finally arrived in Zaragoza, we stopped in for a visit with a local Spanish family. This opportunity to break bread with a local family was by far one of the most rewarding experiences of the trip. Most of us did not speak the same language, but it was a great learning experience and delicious meal. Speaking of meal! The meal we had for Easter lunch was crazy! This was not your average protein and two sides but and 5 course feast. We started with traditional Spanish noodle soup, then cabbage and chickpeas with olive oil. At this rate, most of the group was already completely full. But like the treatment we were used to from our grandmothers (x100) - it was impossible to say no because the hostess was constantly serving us food. The final courses included a meat course, which feature beef, chorizo and blood sausage, and the dessert course, featuring both fresh fruit and traditional pastry. 

After this delicious and extremely filling meal, we took to the local streets for a walk. This tour included a walk through downtown, viewing ancient roman ruins (like the roman bridge picture on the left) and the roman cathedral

Catedral de Salvador.

 If you visit the cathedral, note the two unexploded bombs on the wall - during the civil war they were dropped on the cathedral and the fact that neither exploded was deemed a miracle!

Easter in Austria.

 While Austria subscribes to the typical Easter icons/symbols including, flowers, eggs, chickens, and hares, Austrians practice some unique differences. One of may favorites was the Ostermarkt. I am unsure if these are common within every village or only the big cities, but I wish they were common in the United States. These markets pop up during the Easter season and are filled with local vendors selling snacks, candy, gifts and Easter eggs. Generally, while this seems similar to the U.S. focus on candy and eggs, there is definitely a higher quality to these goods in Austria. For example the Easter eggs are not plastic but are made with more craftsmanship than that of the U.S. (see the picture featured below on the right - those are hundreds of hand painted eggs). 

The Ostermarkts also feature food stands that sell pretzels, chocolate, and warm drinks such as gluhvein. These markets differ from those in the U.S. because patrons are encouraged to buy a drink and stand at tables set up in the market and mingle with neighbors and friends. I really enjoyed how this tradition was more about gathering with neighbors than grabbing your snack and heading back to your car.

Overall, there are definitely common themes within the Easter celebrations in these three countries. However, it is very interesting which elements are focused on and how each culture interprets the common symbols. Happy Easter to you wherever you are!

Cheers!