Plovdiv is turning into a cultural hotspot
February 24, 2015Summer is coming
March 13, 2015
If you walk around any little Bulgarian town or village on the 1st of March, you will notice all people are wearing red-and-white yarn decorations called martenitsa. Sometimes they are bracelets, sometimes they are small ornaments, pinned to a blouse or jacket. This is our way to celebrate a beloved spring tradition, called Baba Marta.
Baba Marta is a traditional Bulgarian holiday celebrated on the 1st of March
So, why March, you may ask? Bulgarians believe that the first day of this month marks the beginning of spring. At the same time, March is famous for its constantly changing weather – one day it is cold and rains, the next – it is a warm, sunny day. The name “Baba Marta” translated to English means “Grandma March” because people in these lands believe that the weather is due to the elderly lady’s fickle mood: whenever she is happy, the weather is good. And when she is angry – it rains.
The origin of the Martenitsa
The tradition dates back to the second half of the 7th century. The ruler of the Bulgars at the time was Khan Asparukh. According to legend, he had a sister named Huba. She was a captive in another kingdom. One day, Asparuh sent his sister a missive that he had found land (southwards from the Danube river, today’s Bulgaria) for them to settle down. Huba managed to run away and reached the river. As she looked for a path, Asparuh’s sister tied a white thread to a falcon’s leg. The other end of the thread remained in her hand, but as soon as the falcon found a way it was speared by an arrow and its blood colored the thread. In the end, Huba succeeded in finding the way to her brother’s land.
Ever since then, the red-and-white color combination symbolizes health, strength, and happiness. This is the reason why ‘Martenitsa’ is an adornment made up of two threads – one of white yarn and the other one of red.
How to make a martenitsa
Nowadays there are different types of martenitsa. The most common one is ‘Pizho and Penda’ and it represents a girl and a boy holding hands.
The easiest and most practical traditional adornment you can make yourself is the bracelet martenitsa. If you wish to give it a try, you will need a string of white yarn and a string of red yarn. Tie the ends together, twist the two threads and – voilà! Your martenitsa is ready!
You can wear your martenitsa until you see the first flying stork in the sky or the first flowering fruit tree. According to the custom, then you should hide your martenisa under a stone or tie it to the blooming tree. Bulgarians believe that this will bring you good health, luck and happiness throughout the year. This is the reason why in the spring you can see a great number of white and red threads hanging from tree branches.
photo: Dimitra Lefterova
If you are a visual learner, take a look at this video showing you how to make your own martenitsa:
Check out also:
