Sirni Zagovezni marks the beginning of the biggest fast of the year – Great Lent, and is the last day on which meat can be eaten. In Razlog, one of the traditional dishes is Banitsa with bulgur, leeks and cheese. Learn more about the holiday and the traditional recipe.
Sirni Zagovezni is one of the important holidays in the traditional Bulgarian calendar. It has no fixed date, is mobile, and always falls on a Sunday, six weeks before the Resurrection of Christ, usually in February or March. This is the day after which the Lent starts, so for the last time people eat foods of animal origin – cheese and dairy products, as well as eggs and fish. On Sirni Zagovezni people ask for forgiveness, in order to start the Easter fast in humility.
In Razlog the holiday is called Forgiveness/Proshki, Sirnitsa, Amkane, as well as Sirna Zaposhka or Velikeva Zaposhka. After the morning liturgy people go to relatives for forgiveness, and the newlyweds must go to their best men with banitsa and wine. People gather with their friends to forgive and rejoice. Everyone brings the best dishes and the evening begins with incense and prayers. Everything put on the table should be eaten to the end, because the next day begins the strict fast.
At this dinner there must be a white halva with which to make “amkane” – the halva is tied on a rolling pin on a long thread and one of the adults waves the rolling pin with the halva, and children and young people try to catch it without hands, only with the mouth. “Amkat”. This custom causes a lot of laughter and merriment, especially among children. Then, keeping the thread upright, they ignite it, watching to see if it will burn completely. If it burns down, it is a sign that the year will be good and happy for the family. The celebration ends and the guests say goodbye. The younger ones bow to the older ones, kissing their hand.
Typical for Razlog and Razlog villages is making of the so-called “gare”. A few days before the celebration or from the morning of the day itself, the children go out of the village and collect twigs of “uvina” (juniper) and pile it in a certain place. Thus a large pile called “gare” is formed. This is done in each of the seven neighborhoods of Razlog, and the aim is to form the largest and highest pile. In the afternoon on Sirni Zagovezni around the pile girls gather and dance, songs are sung. When it gets dark, the whole neighborhood gathers there and the “gare” is set on fire. All night people are having fun, playing games, shooting with pistols, which marks the beginning of Lent. In the past, during these fasts, the young people made swings outside the village, on which they swung and sang songs about future couples. According to old information, as early as the end of the 19th century, this practice gradually died out.