Do you have Bulgarian, Macedonian, Moldovan or Romanian friends or co-workers? Have you noticed that every year, around this time, they wear bracelets, necklaces and other adornments made of white and red yam? Have you been thinking that the bracelets are some type of friendship ones or some wrong interpretation of Cabala or that the yarn accessories were there to match their outfits?
Then you have been complete wrong. The kind of esoteric looking white and red accessories are to celebrate the coming spring and they have a special name – Martenitsa or Marteniza in Bulgarian and Macedonian and Martishor in Romanian language.
The spring welcoming ritual is mostly common in Bulgaria and carries an equally cute and peculiar name – Baba Marta (Grandmother Marta, from March – as the month of March, according to Bulgarian folklore, marks the beginning of springtime). In Bulgarian folklore the months of January and February are considered brothers with bad and freezing temper and here comes their smiling and warming sister – Baba Marta.
Historically, the roots of the Martenitsa custom are believed to had come from 7th century victory over the Byzantine Empire. When the Bulgarian Khan (King) sent eagles with white threads to announce the victory, which partially turned red from the blood during the fight and from there came the white and red yarn Martenitsa – a symbol of victory and new hopes.
Whether this story is true or not, Bulgarians keep to the tradition with the belief that the birth of spring and nature’s waking up mark a period of new hopes and fertility and they wear Martenitsa to ensure will be healthy through the year (white and red like the Martenitsa).
Now that you know about it, if you are given a Martenitsa (as the tradition dictates Bulgarians to gift all friends and folks), accept it as a sign of good will and well-being and carry it, believing in its special powers.
But be careful, as there are special rules of carrying a Martenitsa! The first and most important one is that you shall never put it on before 1st March, as when you do – you risk instead of white and red to turn dark and be unhealthy through the year. And the second one – how long shall you carry it – well, there you have two options, either until you see a stork (a real one, those seen on TV do not count) or when you get enough of the Martenitsa but had not yet made it to see a stork, then could find a blossoming tree, tide it to it and walk away with hopes that your life will be as fertile and blooming as the tree you have chosen.
Happy Baba Marta!
