According to popular Bulgarian belief, the month of March is female in nature and the weather is considered to be as unreliable as the character of a woman: one day it may be sunny and warm but the next it can be stormy and freezing cold.
Bulgarians respect “Baba Marta” highly. On the first day of March we give relatives and friends a martenitsa – a red and white tassel – to bring health and happiness. We put it on our clothes or wrists and wish each other health and happiness. This is an ancient Bulgarian tradition, most probably more than a thousand years old, which symbolizes the end of winter and the coming of spring.
It is believed that the red colour grants fertility to both people and nature and the white gives strength to grow rich crops. We keep our martenitsas on until the first storks and swallows arrive or the first cuckoos call. Then we take our martenitsas off and tie them to a tree that is in blossom or leave them under a stone and make a wish.
We found this really interesting. I remembered this from our last Comenius project since we had Bulgarian partners too. One of my students, who has lived in Romania was familiar with this tradition and she actually showed us her martenitsa around her wrist.
ReplyDeleteYes, this spring holiday is popular in Bulgaria and Romania too. We're glad that Comenius gives us chanse to know well our cultures. :)
ReplyDeleteVery interesting :)
ReplyDeleteVery interesting! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete