The story under the title -In vino veritas- borrowed the famous Roman proverb for this text because it perfectly corresponds to the content of writing which explained the multi-dimensional meaning of the divine drink - wine. Wine is sweet and bitter at the same time, wine intoxicates you and it loosens your tongue. Wine connects you and opens your feelings, wine cleans our body, sometimes it clears our mind, but if it is overdone it can easily cloud us. In honor of Wine, we celebrate the holiday dedi cated to the protector of growers and winemakers Saint Trifun. Somewhere in some parts of Macedonia he is also the protector of gardeners, somewhere among the people he is known as Trifun the drunkard. The Day begins with pruning the vines. The holiday is marked by many events, but the central place is occupied by the act of pruning the vines, which is interesting with all its elements and tradition says that usually on this day we go to the vineyard, where by saying a prayer addressed to God and to Saint Trifun, who is asked to protect our vineyards from diseases, to give us a rich harvest and beautiful grapes, to have a fruitful year, to have rain and sun, the vine is pruned with the words „Lord, we give you one bottle of wine for a thousand to give us" . It is interesting the moment when the vines are pruned, all the actors in this ritual begin to roll through the vineyard with the thought as they roll so to roll barrels with wine, which means a rich harvest is expected.

IN VINO VERITAS -The truth is in the wine - this is the famous and famous proverb since Roman times, about which there is no person in this world who has not heard or understood about it. Its words sound strong and powerful as a message that is passed on from generation to generation wanting to explain to us a truth that contains a little chemistry, a little magic, and most of all love. We celebrate wine, we celebrate grapes, we glorify the divine drink with a bittersweet taste that warms our souls and opens our hearts. Wine is a gift from the gods, but in order for it to be beautiful and of high quality, in addition to many other factors, it was believed that it is necessary is to pray to God but also to Saint Tryphon, to whom we turn for blessing and a request to protect our vineyard, which should give us a good and rich harvest in order to make beautiful and quality wine A man or a saint, who was St. Trifun? In various parts of Macedonia, he is known as Trifun, Tripun, Triun, Trifon or Režac, Rižac, Zarejan because this day in Macedonia is associated with the pruning of the vines, that is, pruning of the vineyards. Believes that Tryfun was a winemaker and had many vineyards, hence his role as a protector of winegrowers and winemakers. He was born in the year 225 in the village of Kampsada in Phrygia. According to tradition, he kept geese and even as a child had healing powers, so he healed people from all kinds of diseases and chased demons from them. At the age of seventeen he was called to Rome to drive out the devil from the daughter of the emperor Gordian (238-244). But during the time of the emperor Demius (249-251) Christians were strongly persecuted, so Tryfun he was brought before a court in Nicaea. He was tortured and in 250 his head was cut off. The Orthodox Church commemorates him on February 14. It was believed that from this day on, spring could already be felt in the air, despite the fact that it is still winter. In many parts of Macedonia, the holiday is celebrated differently with the performance of many ritual and ritual activities, but the role of the protector of vine growers and winemakers is played by him in the region of the fertile and native Tikvešia, known as the wine growing region. Demir Kapija is a small town, a municipality with about 4000 inhabitants, located in the Tikvesh Valley, spread out in the heart of Macedonia. It occupies the central part of the country, and viticulture and winemaking have always been the main activities of the Tikvesh population. The inhabitants of Demir Kapija have been engaged in the production of wine obtained by fermentation of grapes traditionally made in home conditions for years. Experts say that the wine is made in the vineyard, which means that quality grapes produce quality wine. And so for years and decades. The delicious product is slowly becoming a well-known brand originating from the Tikvesh vineyard. Almost every family in this part of Macedonia produces wine for their own needs, but also commercially. Small family wineries are fighting hard for their place in the market by producing quality wine. The main thought of the winegrowers and winemakers is that the year should be good, that there should be rain and sun, that the crop should be good in order to have good wine. But of course the success will be greater if the crop is blessed, if the spirit of the protector is breathed through it, who, when called with prayers for a rich and fruitful year, will protect and guard the vineyards, will give us a good crop and will have quality and beautiful wine. In that direction is the celebration of St. Trifun - the patron saint of vine growers and winemakers, which is celebrated every year in his honor on February 14. The days around the holiday are nowadays known as "Tradition Week" and many activities are organized then. in the sign of viticulture and winemaking - vine pruning competition, competition for the most beautiful brandy - the traditional alcoholic drink in Macedonia, various seminars and lectures on tradition and viticulture, prizes are awarded, and all this is accompanied by a celebration with music, songs and with sound that should intensify the ecstasy and prayerfully invoke the blessing for a fruitful and fruitful year. Celebration of the holiday dedicated to Saint Trifun - Rituals The ritual begins early in the morning when the hosts go to the vineyard and bring home-made bread , wine from last year's harvest, majun, basil. The head of the family, the father, or the grandfather first starts the prayer by lighting a candle in front of the icon of the saint as an integral element during each prayer, the vine is cut and wine is poured on it to produce as many grapes as possible and to have as much wine as possible, while saying the magical words "Lord, we give you one bottle of wine for a thousand to give us", majun for for the grapes to be mild, and with the basil, the vineyard can be sprinkled with holy water to protect it from various pests and diseases. After pruning, the vine-growers roll into the vineyard to roll barrels full of wine. Often times the whole ritual is accompanied by music and musicians who have the role of sealing the whole event in a good and cheerful atmosphere, and this is how the year should pass. what is ahead of us.

The celebration of St. Trifun - the patron saint of vine-growers and winemakers at this moment, despite decades of celebration as a local holiday, still lies within the borders of the state, although with its significance it deserves much more. But it is good that these few daily celebrations have already grown into a tradition that means beautiful and positive experiences, sharing of experiences, exchange of opinions in the field of viticulture and winemaking, which we all know goes beyond the borders of Macedonia and covers large regions in many countries in Europe, Asia, America and in general in the whole world. Hence, we want to share the story of St. Trifun and the pruning of the vineyards on 14 February with other wine-growing regions in the world. The celebrations themselves, which last 4-5 days and are called -Tradition Week- when guests come from twin cities and municipalities from other countries, folklore societies, theatrical performances that completely enrich the program of the celebration, and they themselves are part of the whole event. The most important moment is the act of trimming the vines, which takes place in the presence of many people, priests, guests, etc. This week and on this day, the connections between people deepen, contacts are exchanged, experiences are expanded, and should rise to the level of permanent values that should give birth to new connections and benefits, develop the feeling of belonging to the community, the knowledge of the culture and tradition and the cultural heritage of the region. In the small square in the center of the city, producers exhibit their products and everyone has the opportunity to show their products to others, regardless of whether it is primarily wine, but also brandy, traditional grape products - majun, juices, grape sweets. The holiday gave birth to the slogan - Respect the other so that he respects you.