Martenista OLD BULGARIAN CUSTOM AND TRADITION

All over the world people meet spring with joy and new hope but it is only in Bulgaria where it is saved as an ancient custom. If you are walking along the streets in Bulgaria on the 1 st of March you will witness smiling faces. But first of all your eyes will be captured by martenitsa. Everyone has decorated their clothes with them. Moreover, you can see decorated dogs and cats. Houses have their own martenitsa, as well….

The classical ”martenista”is made out of red and white weaved threads. Sometimes it ends are made into tassels from the same yarn. Usually the tassels are decorated with blue beads, small golden coins colorful threads. In ancient times martenitsa was accepted as a ritual sign – an amulet for protection from evil spirit. But even now Bulgarians believe that they will be healthy during the whole year if they wear martenista in March…

The holiday is well – know as Baba Marta (grandmother March). Her image is as an old women which is now angry now cheerful and smiled, that’s why the weather in March is as changeable as her. On the first of March everybody should wear martenista, especially young children, just married couples or newly born domestic animals. Some of the fruit trees, the handles of the door, the vineyard also have their own martenista.

People wear martenista for a certain period of time. Usually the end of the period is connected with the first signs of the coming spring – blossomed trees, meeting of the first spring birds like storks, swallows or cranes. Then people remove their martenista and tie them to a blossomed fruit tree.

The Martenista… this magical amulet inherited by our predecessors is the first sign of the coming spring…