The threads are hung somewhere outside the house like a gate to protect against evil spirits. It’s also believed in Romania that wearing the red and white bands leads to a prosperous and healthy year.
Thanks to Nikolay, who made us all martenitsi to wear today! Let’s see how many of our wishes come true…īonus fact: “Mărţişor” is a Romanian holiday that is similar to “Baba Marta”. Some people also chose to throw them into the river and let them flow away, representing the troubles of life leaving. It is also believed that the Sun would only shine when she smiled. There are different versions of this tale, depending on what children are told when growing up. Known as a feisty woman, her story revolves around a grudge she held against her siblings, January and February. They would then come back nine days later to see if there had been any ants if there were the year would bring lots of sheep. Baba Marta or Granda March is a Bulgarian legend. Her story originated from the Balkan pagan. We keep honoring her until the end of the month. We celebrate her arrival on March 1 with the greeting, Chestita Baba Marta, which essentially means Happy March. Some people then tie their martenitsa to a tree – so next time when walking through a park, if you see red and white yarn bracelets hanging on a branch, you know the mystery behind it! It was also believed that people placed them under a rock. Literally Grandmother March, Baba Marta is the personification of the month that signifies the beginning of springtime. The tradition is to wear your martenitsa until you see some signs of spring: blossoming trees or birds like storks and swallows. Martenitsi come in many other shapes and sizes and people wear them as lucky charms. The most traditional martenitsa consists of two small dolls (male and female) and are called “Pizho and Penda” (Пижо и Пенда). The white initially represented human nature and strength, whilst the red showed health and the woman’s nature. These are red and white coloured bands or figurines that symbolise health and happiness. On this day people exchange “Martenitsi”. “Baba Marta” translates to “Grandma March”, the mythical character who brings the end of the bitter cold winter! Check out his music project’s home page here: The Wandering Musicphile.Today is “Baba Marta Day”. In Bulgaria the 1st of March marks a holiday that welcomes the upcoming spring. Bob Leathers is a great photographer who constantly blows my socks off with his random shots, and he has some quite refined tastes in music. I was inspired to research and write this article about this just by glancing at this photo from my good friend, Bob, who allowed me to use it in my article.
Read about the legends behind Baba Marta Day » The greeting exchanged on this day is Chestita Baba Marta ( Честита Баба Марта – “Happy Baba Marta,” often shortened to ЧБМ on greetings cards). Then, usually, the person can take their martenitsa off and tie it on the tree, which is what the main photo above shows. The tradition continues that when a person hands another a martenitsa on March 1st, that person wears it until they see a stork or a tree in bloom. On the Pizho and Penda, the male doll is usually distinguished by its white dominating color, while Penda, the female doll, is usually mostly red.
The colors of martenitsi are always red and white, and there are varying answers as to why basically it is a wish for good health and prosperity to the recipient for the rest of the year. Those wearing a martenitsa (Bulgarian: мартеница), which can also resemble a woven ornament of a man or woman, called Pizho and Penda (Bulgarian: Пижо и Пенда), are spared the old woman’s wrath of more winter. Martenitsi are usually fashioned into a thin bracelet and given to friends as a way to keep away Baba Marta (Bulgarian: Баба Марта), who is, according to legend, a very bipolar woman that controls whether or not spring and good weather come soon. The tradition is for people to buy or fashion red- and white-colored gifts made of string, called martenitsa (plural martenitsi). Baba is Bulgarian for “grandmother” and Marta is “March”, so it is “Grandmother March Day,” or “Granny March Day,” in English. But it is one of the oldest pagan traditions in Christian Europe, so it deserves attention.īaba Marta Day is celebrated in Bulgaria on every March 1st, coinciding with the transition of winter into spring. Really, it probably goes not much further than the Bulgarian border. Baba Marta Day is definitely not one of those traditions that get much press outside of Europe.
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