Martenitsi

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Martenitsi
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• Martenitsa (Bulgarian ?????????, plural
  ????????? martenitsi) is a small piece of
  adornment, made of white and red yarn and worn
  from March 1 until around the end of March (or
  the first time an individual sees a stork,
  swallow or budding tree). The name of the holiday
  is Baba Marta. "Baba" (????) is the Bulgarian
  word for "grandmother" and Mart (????) is the
  Bulgarian word for the month of March. Baba Marta
  is a Bulgarian tradition related to welcoming the
  upcoming spring. The month of March, according to
  Bulgarian folklore, marks the beginning of
  springtime. Therefore, the first day of March is
  a traditional holiday associated with sending off
  winter and welcoming spring.
• Romanians also have a similar but not identical
  holiday on March 1, called " Martisor ". If and
  how these two holidays are related is still a
  matter of debate between ethnologists.

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Symbolic

• The red and white woven threads are not just
  meaningless decoration, but symbolize the wish
  for good health. They are the heralds of the
  coming of spring in Bulgaria and life in general.
  While white as a color symbolizes purity and
  soul, red is a symbol of life and passion, thus
  some ethnologists have proposed that in its very
  origins the custom might have reminded people of
  the constant cycle of life and death, the balance
  of good and bad, of sorrow and happiness in human
  life. Given as an amulet in the period of spring,
  when nature gets reborn and starts blossoming
  again it was not only a reminder of that balance
  but also a wish for health, strength and
  happiness.

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Tradition

• On the first day of March and few days
  afterwards, Bulgarians exchange and wear white
  and red tassels or small dolls called "???? ?
  ?????" (Pizho and Penda). In Bulgarian folklore
  the name Baba Marta (in Bulgarian ???? ?????
  meaning Grandma March) is related to a grumpy old
  lady whose mood swings change very rapidly.
• This is an old pagan tradition and remains almost
  unchanged today. The common belief is that by
  wearing the red and white colours of the
  martenitsa people ask Baba Marta for mercy. They
  hope that it will make winter pass faster and
  bring spring. Many people wear more than one
  martenitsa. They receive them as presents from
  relatives, close friends and colleagues.
  Martenitsa is usually worn pinned on the clothes,
  near the collar, or tied around the wrist. The
  tradition calls for wearing the martenitsa until
  the person sees a stork or a blooming tree. The
  stork is considered a harbinger of spring and as
  evidence that Baba Marta is in a good mood and is
  about to retire.

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• The ritual of finally taking off the martenitsa
  may be different in the different parts of
  Bulgaria. Some people would tie their martenitsa
  on a branch of a fruit tree, thus giving the tree
  health and luck, which the person wearing the
  martenitsa has enjoyed himself while wearing it.
  Others would put the martenitsa under a stone
  with the idea that the kind of the creature
  (usually an insect) closest to the token the next
  day will determine the person's health for the
  rest of the year. If the creature is a larva or a
  worm, the coming year will be healthy, and full
  of success. The same luck is associated with an
  ant, the difference being that the person will
  have to work hard to reach success. If the
  creature near the token is a spider, then the
  person is in trouble and may not enjoy luck,
  health, or personal success.

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• The martenitsa is also a stylized symbol of
  Mother Nature. At that early-spring/late-winter
  time of the year, Nature seems full of hopes and
  expectations. The white symbolizes the purity of
  the melting white snow and the red symbolizes the
  setting of the sun which becomes more and more
  intense as spring progresses. These two natural
  resources are the source of life. They are also
  associated with the male and female beginnings.
• Wearing one or more martenitsi is a very popular
  Bulgarian tradition. The martenitsa symbolises
  new life, conception, fertility, and spring. The
  time during which it is worn is meant to be a
  joyful holiday commemorating health and long
  life. The colours of the martenitsa are
  interpreted as symbols of purity and life, as
  well as the need for harmony in Nature and in
  people's lives.

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Legend

• This is only one of the many legends, and perhaps
  not even the best known one, attempting to offer
  an explanation (in this case a rather implausible
  one) of how the tradition of creating and wearing
  martenitsa started.
• Khan Kubrat's (632665) five sons went hunting
  accompanied by their sister Huba. When they
  reached the Danube river they saw a silver stag.
  Mesmerized, the men did not dare shoot at it. The
  stag crossed over to the opposite bank of the
  river showing them a ford.
• A bird flew bringing them bad tidings. Their
  father, the founder of Old Great Bulgaria was on
  his deathbed. In his last hours Kubrat's last
  will was to tell his offspringBayan, Kotrag,
  Asparukh, Kuber and Altseknot to sever the still
  tenuous link between the different Bulgarian
  tribes. His sons vowed to defend Bulgaria.
• Soon after their fathers death, the Khazars
  invaded the land. The Khazar's Khan Ashina
  conquered the capital Phanagoria. Huba, Kubrat's
  daughter, was captured by Ashina. Hoping to give
  her brothers a chance to freedom, Huba attempted
  suicide but was stopped by the guards.

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• Her brothers kept their vows in different ways.
  Bayan stayed with his sister and recognized the
  supremacy of the Khazars. Kotrag went northwards,
  to the River Volga, while Asparukh, Kuber and
  Altsek went south to search for a new land
  without oppressors.
• The brothers who left secretly arranged with Huba
  and Bayan to send word by a golden thread tied to
  the leg of a dove if they were able to find a
  free land. One day a falcon sent by Asparukh flew
  into Huba's room and she and Bayan quickly made
  plans to escape. Just as they were looking for a
  place to cross the Danube River, Khazar pursuers
  spotted them and rushed toward them. Trying to
  find a ford, Huba let the falcon free. She tied a
  white thread to its leg and handed it to her
  brother. Just as the bird was about to take off,
  an enemy arrow pierced Bayan and his blood
  stained the white thread.
• While Huba and Bayan managed to reach the newly
  discovered land by Asparukh (present-day
  Bulgaria), they were both mortally wounded.
  Asparukh rushed to the side of his dying brother
  and sister but he could not save them. After
  their death he tore the pieces of white-and-red
  blood stained yarn and adorned his soldiers with
  them.

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Happy First March