Programme: Rural Development Programme

A “Lazarovden” is a spring holiday that is celebrated one week before Easter. The participants are little girls and unmarried young women. The “lazarki” go around the houses in the whole village, singing Lazarus songs for fertility, health, and family well-being. The most exciting moment is the “lazarsko horo” at the end of the day when the whole village gathers and admires the dressed-up young women because it is believed that the Lazarus maiden is ready for marriage.
A “Trifon Zarezan” is a Bulgarian holiday in honor of St. Trifon. It is celebrated on February 14th by winegrowers, gardeners, falconers, and innkeepers. Pruning the vines is an exclusively male task. On this day, early in the morning, the housewife kneads bread and puts a stuffed hen, a griddle-cake, and wine in a new woolen bag, sending her husband to prune the vineyard. There, he stands facing the sun, crosses himself, blesses and cuts the first branches. Then the vine is watered with wine for fertility and sprinkled with wood ash to protect against diseases. Wreaths are made from the cut branches and placed on the heads of the men. A crown for the chosen "King of the vines" is also prepared from them. The celebration ends at the “king”'s home, where everyone enjoys a festive meal. 
An “Enyovden”  is a very rich holiday that marks the summer solstice. In the folk beliefs, on this day, the sun begins to slowly “die”, and the year leans towards winter. On “Enyovden”, early in the morning, girls and women gather herbs that they use for healing and magic throughout the year. The collected herbs are braided into a wreath through which everyone passes for good health. After sunset, the wreath is taken home and kept for the entire year, and on the following year, it is thrown into the river to take away illnesses. Another well-known ritual is an “Enyova Bulya”.