Survakane

Survakane proper is a ritual in which a member of the family, typically the youngest,[3] lightly pats the back of others with a survaknitsa on the morning of New Year's Day (known in Bulgarian as Vasilovden).

Сурва, сурва година, весела година, златен клас на нива, червена ябълка в градина, пълна къща с коприна, живо-здраво догодина, догодина, до амина.

Typically, northern Bulgarian survaknitsas will have fruits, bread, and seeds strung on them, while coins are used in the south.

[1] The selection process for a branch is usually held a few days before New Year's, in order to have time to decorate the stick as the family sees fit.

The branch can be taken from any live fruit tree, although dogwood is preferred because of its long life and early blossoming, which are supposed to represent desirable qualities.