Baba Marta (Grandmother March)
March 1st, 2007
March 1st is probably our most intrinsic holiday because it is unique to Bulgaria. The custom of wearing martenitsas (red-and-white threads worn as a decoration) is only popular in Bulgaria and it is perhaps the most positive one in all our folklore. This tradition is based upon the founding of Bulgaria in 681 AD and there are many more than one folk-legends about the origin of this celebrated day.
Today Bulgarians give the red and white colors only to please Granny Marta so she will not make us cold. In doing so, we are expressing the hope that the spring will come as quickly as possible. Once we have those tokens, which we put on our clothing or wear on our wrist, we keep them until we see a sign of spring; a bird associated with spring such as a stork, crane or swallow or blossoming trees. After seeing the stork, some will tie the Martenitza on a fruit tree, symbolically giving the tree the health and luck that they had while wearing the token.
