Who are St. Valentine and St. Trifun?

If you consider yourself an Orthodox believer and recognize only St. Trifun, the feast of
wine and vineyard, or you are young and in love, so St. Valentine is "cool" for you, have you
asked yourself how it came to be that the day of wine and valentines fall on the same day.
Saint Trifun is a holiday that is part of the Orthodox tradition and is celebrated according
to the calendar of the Macedonian Orthodox Church, and in Macedonia, the saint is
celebrated as the patron saint of winegrowers.
On the other hand, Saint Valentine is celebrated more in Catholic countries, but in the
last two decades, it has been massively celebrated among young people as Valentine's Day.
On this day, however, two saints are commemorated, one who has a long tradition in
the Christian world and has been respected for centuries, and the second who, through the
mediation of the media, has become a global phenomenon outside of Christian countries.
However, we are talking about two different saints respected by both the Orthodox and
Catholic churches. Saint Tryphon, as the protector of winegrowers and wine, cannot be a
substitute for Saint Valentine, which the Orthodox Church also celebrates, but on August 12.
However, people have not considered Valentine's Day because February 14 has become a
global phenomenon.
Saint Tryphon lived in the 3rd century in Asia Minor. The legend says he had a
miraculous gift to heal, and he managed to cure the daughter of the Roman emperor
Gordius from an evil spirit. He distributed the rich royal gifts to the poor, and until the end of
his life, he lived as a modest keeper of geese. During the great persecution, he refused to
renounce Christ, which is why he was killed in the year 250 on February 14.
Saint Valentine lived somewhere at that time. He dedicated his life to the secret wedding
of soldiers who were forbidden to start a family with their chosen women. Because of the
help he gave to couples in love, Valentine was beheaded in 269. Legend has it that before
his death, Valentine sent a farewell letter to a blind girl for the kindness she showed him
while he was in the dungeon. When the girl received his letter, she saw.
And so men started sending messages to their loved ones, and love got its official day.
Saint Valentine became the patron saint of lovers in the 14th century, first in England and
France. There are opinions that Saint Valentine replaced the cult of the goddess Juno, who
was celebrated on the same day in ancient Rome and was the protector of family and
marriage, which is why women were given flowers on that day.
On the other hand, Saint Tryphon has been celebrated in the Orthodox world for
centuries. Many guilds celebrate him, and in first place are the innkeepers, the winemakers,
and the vine growers because it is a matter of protecting the wine and the vine. It is said that
good tavern keepers pour free wine to guests on that day.
There is a belief that the year will be blessed if it snows or rains on Saint Trifun. If the
weather is nice, there is no dry year ahead. However, after this day, the winter slowly begins
to subside, this means that on his holiday Saint Trifun pokes a vine branch in the ground,
and the snow begins to melt.
It is customary on this day to cut at least one branch from the vine and pour it with wine so
that the year will be fruitful and the wine will be sweet in autumn.
If you want to celebrate this day properly and these saints, hug the one you love, open a
bottle of good wine and enjoy love and life.