MiraiM

Happy 1st of March!

Added 2022-03-01 17:57:16 +0000 UTC

Happy 1st of March, guys!

In Eastern Eaurope we celebrate the beginning of spring today!

In Bulgaria, Macedonia, Romania, Moldova and some parts of Greece on this day we exchange a small piece of adornment called martenitsa /мартеница/ in Bulgarian, martinka /мартинка/ in Macedonian, martisor /mărțișor/ in Romanian and Moldovian and martis/μάρτης/ in Greek, made of white and red yarn, it could be in the form of a bracelet or brooch, usually in the form of two dolls, a white male (called Pizho) and a red female (called Penda). The typical Martenitsa small wool dolls, Pizho and Penda are common for the Bulgarian tradition. Pizho, the male doll, is usually predominantly white; Penda, the female doll, is distinguished by her skirt and is usually predominantly red.

Giving this talisman to people is an old custom, and it is believed that the wearer will be strong and healthy for the year to come. It is also a symbol of the coming spring. Usually, both women and men wear on their left hand or it's pinned to their clothes, close to the heart, until they see a stork, swallow, or blossoming tree, if neither then until the last day of March, when they tie it to a fruit-tree twig.

In Bulgaria we have an old lady who brings martenitsi to people around the country, she's called Grandma March. In our folklore she's believed to be a feisty and temperamental lady who seems always to be in a bad mood with her two brothers, January and February (which explains the constant change in the weather during March).

I hope this small 'folklore lecture' was interesting at least to some of you. I just wanted to finally post something positive here after my last few updates. And also I'm very happy to share with you that tomorrow I'll be discharged and I'm coming home finally!

I hope you have a wonderful day/evening! And take care!

Mirai M ~