Baba Marta Day

Bulgaria is the happiest place on Earth on March 1st. If you are a foreigner, you may be baffled why everybody is smiling and exchanging red and white amulets known as martenitsi (martebisi мартеници – plural, martenitsa мартеница – singular). You won’t find a grumpy person today, and you might end up with some of these amulets because we think they’re good for you as well.

What’s the fuss about the matrenitsa?

Credit https://www.freeimages.com/download/martenitsa-1403250

As a Bulgarian, I love this day, and even after I’ve left Bulgaria, I make sure that have martenitsa, which is a symbol of good health and fortune. White thread represents purity, innocence, and new beginnings, while red thread represents life, conception, sun energy, and fertility. These colors, as well as green, appear on the Bulgarian flag. Martentitstsas were traditionally home-made from wool threads, but now they can be purchased almost anywhere. Traditionally martenistas are bought from small stalls on the street so the streets, too, are red and white. Martenistas can be found on monuments and pets. There are also large decorative ones in some locations.

There are several versions of the origin or martenitsas. According to one version, this amulet dates back to when the Thracians lived in our lands and hung red threads on their cattle to protect them from disease. The other theory takes us back to the time when Khan Asparuh was establishing the Bulgarian state. Khan Asparuh received a message from his beautiful sister Huba in the form of a white thread tied to the leg of a bird – a falcon, a dove, or a swallow, depending on the tale. During the journey, the bird injured itself and so the thread turned red. Khan Asparuh, overjoyed by the good news from his sister, decorated his entire nation with such threads, which is thought to be the origin of the modern tradition.

Why people say Happy Grandma Marta to everyone?

Image by Freepik

Baba Marta represents March, spring, and the new beginnings. She is an elderly lady who can be grumpy at times. She determines when spring will arrive. Baba Marta is Small and Big Sechko’s sister (the months of January and February). She may become feisty and enraged because her two brothers either cause major disruptions or drink the entire amount of wine without allowing her to taste it. In this case, March has bad weather. We wear martentitsas to make Baba Marta happy and to get more sun because she likes those amulets. When we exchange the amulets we say Happy Grandma Marta (Chestita Baba Marta. Честита Баба Марта) because it means we make her happy. We must remove the martenitsa whenever we see a flowering fruit tree or a stork. After that, the martenitsa must be attached to a flowering fruit tree.

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