Martisor and Baba Marta - an old holiday of the arrival of spring. Martisor - jewelry from Airelin
There are quite a few holidays of the arrival of spring - in different cultures and in different countries. As a rule, the holidays of the arrival of spring fall on the first days of March. For example, in Romania and Moldova, on March 1, the Martisor holiday is celebrated, which means the traditional meeting of spring. In Bulgaria, the same holiday is called Martenitsa (or Baba Marta).
So where did the holiday of Martisor and Martenitsa come from?
It is believed that the Martisor holiday originates in the Roman Empire, when the New Year was celebrated on March 1. This holiday was dedicated to the god Mars, who simultaneously symbolized agriculture and war - that is, the death and rebirth of nature. According to excavations, martisors were made in Romania 8 thousand years ago.
There are several legends about Martisor, which laid the foundation for this holiday.
The first legend tells about a handsome guy Fat-Frumos (translated into Russian, Good Fellow), who lived among the Getae and Dacians in ancient times (the territory of the Carpathians and Transylvania), who on the first day of spring went for a walk in the forest. The guy was very fond of his native land and native nature, he was cheerful and kind. Having galloped to a sunny meadow, he saw a small snowdrop flower that towered above the snow. The guy went up to the flower and asked him who he was, the Snowdrop replied that he was the messenger of Spring, that winter was over and it would soon be warm and good. And when Fat-Frumos was worried about whether the flower would freeze, Snowdrop said that he was not afraid of the cold. These words were heard by Blizzard-Frost, who at that moment was passing by, and got angry that a small flower was not afraid of him. To teach Snowdrop a lesson, Blizzard-Frost began to rage and sent such a cold that Snowdrop began to freeze and die.
Fat-Frumos, not wanting the death of the flower, began to fight the Blizzard-Frost, but it turned out to be beyond his strength. And then, dying, Fat-Frumos covered the flower with his chest from the cold, and drops of the guy's blood fell to the ground next to the Snowdrop. The flower survived, warmed by the breath and blood of its protector, and was able to continue to grow and announce to the whole world about the coming of Spring. And Fat Frumos turned into another flower, which was as beautiful as the Snowdrop. According to another version of the same legend, Fat-Frumos met a beautiful Fairy in a clearing, which he liked very much. But Blizzard-Frost decided to freeze her, and the young man who stood up for her was mortally wounded. When Fat-Frumos decided to warm the freezing Fairy with his hot blood, he hugged her, but both the Fairy and the guy died. And at the place of their death, a white snowdrop and a peony grew.
Another legend about the Martisor holiday tells that on the first day of March, Spring came to the clearing where the Snowdrop grew. Seeing a beautiful flower, she began to clear the snow around it to let it break through. Fierce Winter saw this, got angry - and began to send evil winds and cold on the Snowdrop. Spring, wanting to protect the flower, covered it with her hands and pricked herself on a thorn needle. Blood from the finger of Spring fell on the Snowdrop - and he came to life and warmed up.
Another legend about the Martisor holiday says that one day the Sun turned into a beautiful girl and descended to earth. But the evil Serpent, not wanting the arrival of warmth, stole it and hid it in his castle. Without the Sun, the world became cold, the birds stopped singing, and people forgot what fun means. But one young man, who was very brave, decided to defeat the Serpent and challenged him to a duel. The guy managed to free the Sun, but he died from the wounds received in battle - and his red blood falling on the snow made him melt, and snowdrops grew in place of the thawed patches - a symbol of spring.
The main symbol of this holiday is the Martisors - special boutonnieres that combine red and white colors and symbolize the purity of the first spring snowdrop flower and the red blood of its defenders.
Martisors are given to each other on March 1 and worn until March 31, after which they are hung on flowering fruit trees. It is believed that if the tree on which a person has hung his martisor bears well, it means that this person will have a good year, full of love and success. In addition, if, while hanging a mertisor on a tree, you make a wish, it will definitely come true. But, having hung a martisor on a certain tree, a person took upon himself the obligation to look after and care for this tree during the year.
The first martisors were made from a gold or silver coin wrapped in red and white thread and hung around the neck as a pendant. Children wore martisors throughout March, and girls only for the first 12 days of March, after which they wove them into their hair and wore them until the storks arrive or the first trees bloom. After that, the coin was unwound, a thread was tied to a tree, and a special kind of cheese from sheep's milk was bought for the coin - porridge.
Now martisors are knitted from two threads and fastened together in the form of circles or snowdrop heads - red and white. Having fastened them together, the martisor threads are tied into a bow and the martisor is sewn onto clothes or attached with a pin to the chest from the side of the heart.
Unlike the Martisor holiday, which has several legends, the Martenitsa holiday is based on only one legend. 
A long time ago lived Khan Asparuh, who conquered many lands, including the territory of modern Bulgaria. He had 4 brothers and 1 sister Kalina. All the brothers went to different lands to conquer new territories, and Kalina was left alone on the territory of modern Russia.
Asparuh made successful campaigns, conquered lands, but missed his sister very much, who was far from him. One day he was sitting under a tree and was sad when a swallow landed on his shoulder and asked what was the reason for his sadness. Asparuh told the swallow that he yearns for his sister Kalina, who is far away from him, and he is bitter that he has no one who could take the gift to Kalina. The swallow decided to help Asparuh, especially since she knew where Kalina lives.
The swallow flew for 3 days and 3 nights, flew to Kalina and told her about her brother. Kalina was very happy with the swallow and decided to send Asparuh a gift from herself. She plucked the most delightful flowers from those that grew in her garden, tied them with red and white thread, and asked the swallow to take these flowers to her brother.
The swallow flew again for 3 days and 3 nights, until it reached the dwelling of Khan Asparuh, who at that moment was just feasting in honor of the creation of the state of Bulgaria. Asparuh was very happy and ordered that all his subordinates celebrate this day with flowers intertwined with red and white ribbons. This day was the day of March 1, and the flowers with white and red threads were called martenitsa.
The Martenitsa holiday is a celebration of the arrival of spring in Bulgaria, accompanied by the same symbolism as the Martisor holiday in Romania. On this day, Bulgarians make red and white amulets and exchange them. White in Martenice is the color of masculinity, strength and longevity, which later became the color of purity, innocence and spring freshness. The red color in Martenitsy is the color of blood, femininity, fertility and health. 
Martenitsy are not only attached to their clothes, but also tied around the neck or harness of livestock, on tools of their labor, on dwellings, etc. Since martenitsa symbolized health, it was especially useful for pregnant women and children to wear them. There is a belief that if a girl puts on martenitsa, after leaving it for the night on a wild red rose, the beauty of this girl will not fade throughout the summer.
In addition, there were rules for attaching the martenitsa to itself. If the girl was a bride, she attached martenitsa on the right, and if she remained an old maid, on the left. A single guy wore martenitsa, the ends of the threads on which were not tied, and a married man could only put on a martenitsa with threads tied and cut to a knot.
According to different traditions, martenitsa are worn for 3, 9, 25 days or until they see the first spring bird, snake or flowering fruit tree. After that, they are hung on a tree that already has foliage, or hidden under a stone. The next day, martenitsa hidden under a stone is used to guess - for good luck in cattle breeding or for marriage.
In addition, martenitsa are sometimes thrown into the river or thrown onto the roof of a house. There is a tradition for children to throw martenitsa up, turning to the sun with a request to take martenitsa from them, and give them health.
The holidays of Martisor and Martenitsa were created in honor of the arrival of spring and warmth. They symbolize fertility, spring freshness and health and are truly important holidays for any nation! After all, the arrival of spring was an important milestone for our ancestors. No wonder there was a similar holiday in Rus', which was celebrated on a grand scale and with fun - Maslenitsa!
I drink spring days Cahors
(the days are a little warmer)
I give Moldovan martisor
And I hug all my friends!
If in some countries it is customary to say goodbye to winter, then in Moldova it is customary to welcome spring. Every year on March 1, the Moldovan national holiday "Martisor" is celebrated. The tradition of celebrating "Martisor" was established by the distant ancestors of the Moldavians, who celebrated the New Year with the advent of spring. On this day, people give each other martisor (a symbol of clarity and happiness), this is a miniature red and white decoration in the form of all kinds of flowers, bells, beads, little men, hearts.
Martisor is also a source of pride for every Moldovan, pride that this symbol of spring, fertility, happiness and prosperity has settled in his homeland. Any resident of Moldova with admiration talks about the history of its appearance and about the signs associated with it. Martisors are worn on clothes for the whole month, and in April, red and white talismans need to be tied to a fruit tree and make a wish that will certainly come true. And if the tree on which you attached the martisor gives a rich harvest, it means that you will not escape happiness and love this year.
This beautiful tradition was born by a legend. The legend of Martisor is passed from mouth to mouth, from generation to generation. There are various interpretations of this beautiful and kind fairy tale.
There are many interpretations of this legend. Here are two of them:
"Long ago, in time immemorial, a fragile flower with snow-white petals named Giochel - Snowdrop appeared on the earth. It grew on a bare kogosor, when the sun first pierced the gray snow clouds with golden arrows of its rays. Little Giochel was protected from the cold by the beautiful and kind sorceress Spring. The evil whirlwind Krivets heard about the brave flower.He flew out of his icy dwelling with the intention of freezing the brave man who dared to transgress the harsh law of his icy kingdom.The ferocious Krivets pulled out a prickly wild rose from the ground and threw it out of annoyance into the bright Spring, pricking her little finger. hot scarlet blood fell to the ground and stained the white petals of Giochel. Each hot drop brought this delicate and fragile flower back to life. When Giochel's strength returned, he joyfully announced the coming of Spring."
According to another legend, the Sun descended to earth in the form of a beautiful girl. But the evil Serpent stole it and locked it in his palace. After that, the birds stopped singing, the children forgot what fun and laughter are, and the whole world plunged into sadness. One brave young man decided to save the Sun. For a whole year he was looking for the palace of the Serpent, and when he found it, he challenged him to battle. They fought for a long time, and in the end the young man defeated the Serpent. He released the beautiful Sun. It rose to heaven and lit up the whole world. Spring came, nature came to life, people remembered what joy is, but the brave young man did not have time to see spring. His warm blood dripped onto the snow. The last drop of blood fell, he died of his wounds. Where the snow melted, white flowers grew - snowdrops, heralds of spring. Since then, in honor of the liberator of the world from darkness and sadness, people have been weaving two cords with white and red flowers. The red color symbolizes the love of beauty and the memory of the blood of the deceased youth, and the white color symbolizes the health and purity of the snowdrop, the first spring flower.
Perhaps not everyone knows what Martisor is, and therefore I will tell you about this holiday.
A long time ago, the Moldavian people had such a tradition: on the first day of spring, to give each other a Martisor.
The happy owner of this gift wears it all month of March on clothes - on the left side of the chest, near the heart.
Where did this tradition come from?
Legends of Fat Frumos and Snowdrop
One old legend says that in ancient times, a young handsome guy lived among the Getae and Dacians. His name was Fat-Frumos, which in translation into Russian means Well Done-Handsome, Good Well Done.
Fat-Frumos was cheerful and kind, in love with the nature of his native land. And then one day on the first day of spring at sunrise, he galloped into the forest. On a sunny meadow, the young man saw a wonderful flower named "Giochel" - a snowdrop.
Who are you? - the guy asked the flower.
- I am Giochel, messenger of Spring! I notify everyone about the end of winter and the arrival of spring! If I appeared, it means that the end of the cold, fierce blizzards and snowstorms has come. My opened flower attracts warmth and bright sun, calls migratory birds to their native lands!
But there is still snow around, won't you freeze? - the good fellow was worried.
No, I'm not afraid of the cold! Giochel replied.
Then a fierce Blizzard-Frost was walking past a forest clearing and heard the words of Giochel. Blizzard-Frost was angry that such a fragile flower was not afraid of him and notifies everyone about the departure of winter and the beginning of spring. Blizzard-Frost got angry and raged, sent all his cold strength to Giochel. Then the spring flower began to turn pale and freeze, lowering down its delicate white head.
Don't die, Giochel! Fat-Frumos called to him and rushed to stop the raging cold storm.
But the young man was unable to overcome the sharp Blizzard-Frost. Then, falling to his knees from his wounds, Fat-Frumos managed to get to the dying Giochel and covered the flower from the cold with his chest. Drops of hot blood that came straight from the heart fell to the ground next to the freezing flower.
With his blood and last breath, Fat-Frumos warmed Giochel, and the white flower survived! It bloomed further, and notified everyone about the coming of Spring!
And the dying Fat-Frumos turned into another beautiful flower.
This is how the legend about the beautiful flower and the holiday of the arrival of spring - Martisor was born.
In different villages we tell this legend in their own way.
For example, there is another legend that in a forest clearing a young man met a beautiful forest Fairy who came to inform the world about the coming of Spring. Young people liked each other. But the insidious Blizzard-Frost brought cold on the Fairy, and then in the struggle mortally wounded the young man. Fat Frumos tried to warm the freezing Fairy with his hot blood from his wounds, but they both died. The first spring flower, the white Snowdrop, grew in this place. And Fat-Frumos turned into a beautiful flower Bujor (forest or foreign Peony).
Since then, people have been telling these legends to their children, making and giving each other Martisors, rejoicing at the arrival of spring.
Spring gift Martisor
What is this gift - Martisor?
Martisors are diverse in design, there are a great variety of their forms. But all of them are made strictly in two colors: white - the color of the Snowdrop, and red - the color of the blood of Fat-Frumos.
Ordinary Martisors are balls or circles. Or is it a white flower head (in the form of a snowdrop cap) and the same red. They are knitted from threads and then fastened together. A bow is made at the ends of the threads.
Ready-made Martisor is sewn onto clothes or fastened with a badge on the left side of the chest near the heart. They wear a gift from the first day of March until the end of the month.
On the last day of March, Martisor is removed and must be tied to a branch of some plant (tree or perennial flower). This suggests that a person takes patronage for the whole year, to look after and care for this plant until next spring.
And Martisor tied to the plant says that this plant is occupied. The bright red and white coloring of Martisor reminds people of the obligation to take care of their plants.
Of course, this is also from the legend, but many people follow this tradition, providing further care for the plant. This tradition is especially honored in the villages.
Although everyone ties their martisors to a branch of a plant, not everyone can regularly care for their tree; this is especially difficult in the bustle of the city.
Nevertheless, these legends are still alive, and the traditional Spring Festival is celebrated merrily!
For 43 years in a row, within the framework of this spring holiday, from March 1 to March 10, the International Festival of Culture, which is called “Martisor”, has been held in Moldova.
So here in March everyone celebrates Martisor, wears gifts on their chests and rejoices in the coming spring.
I congratulate everyone on the coming of Spring, on the holiday of Martisor!
Ancient myths and legends of the peoples of the world are so diverse, fanciful and unusual that sometimes it can be difficult not only to explain, but even simply to understand. Therefore, for a long time, the content of any legends was attributed to the rich imagination of "dense" prehistoric people, unfamiliar with the achievements of civilization. But maybe we just do not have enough knowledge to understand our ancestors? Let's try to find out what is behind one of the most revered and ancient customs in the Balkans, about which there are legends - the Martisor holiday.
What do we know about Martisor?
Martisor is a red and white amulet, worn in March and hung on tree branches at the end of the month. As archaeological excavations in Romania have proven, this is an ancient pagan custom that is at least 8,000 years old. During the excavations, small stones were found, painted in white and red, and worn, as it is believed, around the neck. There are many different legends about how the holiday appeared, but apart from the fact that all of them are united by the theme of spring, it would seem that there is nothing to say about Martisor.
However, science does not stand still and new research allows to lift the veil of ancient secrets. In the scientific literature, Martisor is called very prosaically - the March thread. This allows us to generalize data on the custom of wearing it among the Balkan peoples. And it was preserved among the Moldovans, Romanians, Bulgarians, Macedonians, Greeks, Albanians and Aromanians.
Why is martisor red and white?
Red and white colors can have different semantics, but first of all they are sacred colors. White, in addition to being the color of purity and chastity, was used in ritual costume as a symbol of the other world. Therefore, it is present in the clothes of newlyweds, newborns and the dead, symbolizing the transition of a person into a new hypostasis. White was the color symbol of the Neolithic goddess of the sky, or as it is customary to call her in scientific literature - the Great Goddess.
The combination of white and red goes back to the symbolism of the two supreme deities of the early agricultural religion and expressed the desire for a connection between a god and a goddess - a connection that was supposed to ensure fertility.
The combination of white and red was found in various ancient cultures. Among the Hittites, the king wore a belt woven from red and white wool. In ancient Iran, the king wore a red and white diadem and red clothes with a white stripe. In ancient Peru, noble persons of a certain category (possibly clergy) wore capes painted in white and red chess. She was an ideogram expressing the idea of the connection between a god and a goddess. In the time of the pharaohs, the symbols of Upper and Lower Egypt were red and white, or a cobra and a vulture: a snake as a representative of the earth, and a bird, and in particular a vulture, as a representative of the sky goddess.
Why are martisors hung on trees?
One of the main incarnations of the Neolithic Great Goddess was a tree. Therefore, a custom arose to hang martisors at the end of March on trees - this is done by Moldavians, Romanians, Bulgarians, Greeks and Albanians. The custom to bring a piece of fabric as a gift to the goddess, who was considered a spinner, continues to exist in the Caucasus: in fulfillment of desires or simply for the sake of observing tradition, a piece of fabric is tied to the branches of a tree that is considered sacred. In Ossetia, there was even a custom to hang pieces of white and red fabric on a tree. This was done by the priests of the pagan goddess Alarda.
The connection with the tree can be traced even in the names Martisor and Martenitsa (Bulgarian analogue of martisor). Etymologically, they are related to the root *mara ‘tree’ of the Nostratic proto-language, from which a macrofamily of languages originated, uniting several language families and languages of Europe, Asia and Africa.
Great Goddess and Baba Dokia
Numerous mythological characters of various nations ascend to the image of the Great Goddess, including Baba Dokia and Baba Marta, associated with Martisor and Martenitsa.
The Romanian researcher I. Ginoyu directly connects the custom of wearing a martisor with the legend of the March old woman Baba Dokia, who, climbing with her herd into the mountains, spun the thread of the year, just as the Moiras or Parks spun the thread of human life. In Romanian culture, the image of the March old woman is indeed associated with spinning. According to versions of the legend known in Bukovina, Transylvania and southeastern Romania, Baba Dokia went to the mountains, tucking a spinning wheel into her belt and taking a tow with her (this motif is also found in Serbian and Greek versions). In some parts of Romania, spinning was considered the only work that could be done on March 1st.
Among Moldovans and Romanians, the number of days of wearing a martisor was often equal to the number of days during which Baba Dokia climbed the mountain, and the number of casings that she put on when setting off - nine or twelve. This tradition is reflected in the story “Mărţişor” by Mihai Sadoveanu, at the end of which Dochia, having thrown off all her casings, turns into a rock.
The great goddess, who is also called the Great Mother or simply the Mother Goddess, was the patroness of childbearing, therefore beliefs about fertility were associated with the March thread. Moldavians, Romanians, Bulgarians, Macedonians often wore the March thread before the arrival of storks, responsible, as you know, for childbearing.
In the southern regions of Bulgaria, in the Bulgarian Dobruja and in southeastern Macedonia, there is a custom to hide the March thread under a stone and then guess from it. The Bulgarians, hiding the March thread under a stone, the next day wondered about the offspring of livestock in the current year. According to beliefs from the Pirin region, the appearance of ants on the abandoned amulet means the offspring of goats or sheep, ladybugs - the offspring of cattle, spiders - the offspring of donkeys. In the Sofia region, by the appearance of insects, straws, and slivers on the March thread, girls also wondered about marriage.
These and many other data indicate that the binary symbol of Martisor has its roots in the Neolithic era and is associated with the cult of the sky goddess or the Great Goddess, the rudiments and remnants of which have been preserved in various forms to this day.
Literature: Ariel Golan. Myth and symbol. Moscow, 1994; Natalia Golant. The March Ritual Complex of Romanians and Bulgarians in the Ethnocultural Tradition of the Carpatho-Balkan Region. St. Petersburg, 2007; Natalia Kalashnikova. Semiotics of traditional costume. Chisinau, 2005; Doina Rusti. Dictionar de teme si simboluri din literatura română. Bucuresti, 2002.
history of the holiday
The tradition of Martisor goes deep into the past and, according to historians, its age is at least eight thousand years. "Merz" in Romanian means the month of March, and "March", respectively, comes from the Latin name of the god Mars.
The holiday is based on several beautiful legends: One legend is about a fragile flower with snow-white petals named Giochel, who survived in opposition to an evil whirlwind named Krivets. The flower was saved by the kind intercessor Spring, who sprinkled the petals of Giochel with her scarlet blood. In another version, it is a snowdrop that survived under the evil attacks of the old woman of Winter and announced her arrival to the whole world. Another legend where the Sun descended to earth in the form of a beautiful girl, but the evil Serpent stole her and locked her in his palace. After that, the birds stopped singing, the children forgot what fun and laughter are, and the whole world plunged into darkness and sadness. And only one brave young man decided to save the Sun. For a whole year he was looking for the evil Serpent, and when he found it, he challenged him to fight. In an unequal battle, the Serpent died, but managed to injure the young man. And so, the Sun returned to the sky, illuminating the whole world with its rays, and spring came. But the young man did not have time to see the spring. His wound turned out to be fatal, and where the young man's warm scarlet blood flowed to the ground, the snow melted and white flowers grew - snowdrops, harbingers of spring. Since then, in honor of the liberator of the world from darkness and sadness, people have been weaving two laces with white and red flowers. Red - symbolizes love, beauty and memory of the deceased young man, and white - the health and purity of the snowdrop, the first spring flower.
Holiday traditions
On this day, the first of March, people give each other red and white talismans with words of love and joy, saying: “Live, bloom like apple and pear trees in the heart of spring.”
Martisors are worn on their chests throughout March, and in early April they hang them on a fruit tree and make a wish that must certainly come true. And the Moldovan National Museum of Nature and Ethnography has been collecting and exhibiting entire expositions of these wonderful symbols of spring and love, made with folk skill and imagination, for several years now. These are crocheted openwork flowers, and solid poppy boxes, and two-color lanterns, and fur animals.
In addition to Moldova, the arrival of spring is similarly celebrated in Romania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Greece and Albania.
This wonderful holiday is accompanied by the international music festival "Martisor", which is held in Moldova for the forty-first time. The festival accommodates all musical genres, from jazz to classical. A huge number of guests come to this holiday. The inhabitants of Moldova are pleased with their art by performers and ensembles of academic, pop, folk, jazz music from Australia, Belarus, Great Britain, Germany, Georgia, Israel, Spain, Italy, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, Russia, Romania, Slovakia, Turkey, Ukraine and other countries .
Come to Moldova for the Martisor Holiday and you will never forget the hospitality and friendliness of the Moldovan people!
(с)mdmoldova.narod.ru
By the way, this is my favorite holiday! There is still snow on the streets of Chisinau, the sun is shining, but not warm, we wrap ourselves in our warm clothes, but the city is full of bright colors of the holiday and it is already felt that spring has come. On the faces of a smile and everyone has a flower pinned to their chest, a symbol of spring!
Martisor (Mold. Mărţişor, Mărţişor, Mărţiguş, Rum. Mărţişor, Arum. M`arţu from Mold. martie, Marty "March") is a traditional celebration of the meeting of spring in Moldova and Romania. Celebrated on March 1st. On this day, people give each other small boutonnieres in the form of flowers made of threads of white and red flowers. This decoration, as well as the holiday, is called martisor.
In Bulgaria, there is a similar holiday called Baba Marta, and on this day it is customary to give martenichki or, as they are also called, Martenitsy.
Origin legends
According to one legend, on the first day of March, the beautiful Spring came to the edge of the forest, looked around and saw a snowdrop breaking out from under the snow on a thawed patch of thorn bushes. She decided to help him and began to clear the ground around, freeing him from thorny branches. Winter saw this and was furious. She waved her hands, summoned a cold wind with snow to destroy the primrose. A weak flower drooped under the cruel wind. But Spring covered the sprout with her hands and pricked herself with a blackthorn. A drop of hot blood fell from her wounded hand, and the flower came to life. So Spring conquered Winter. The colors of the Martisor symbolize her red blood on the white snow.
According to another legend, the Sun descended to earth in the form of a beautiful girl. But the evil Serpent stole it and locked it in his palace. After that, the birds stopped singing, the children forgot what fun and laughter are, and the whole world plunged into sadness. One brave young man decided to save the Sun. For a whole year he was looking for the palace of the Serpent, and when he found it, he challenged him to battle. They fought for a long time, and in the end the young man defeated the Serpent. He released the beautiful Sun. It rose to heaven and lit up the whole world. Spring came, nature came to life, people remembered what joy is, but the brave young man did not have time to see spring. His warm blood dripped onto the snow. The last drop of blood fell, he died of his wounds. Where the snow melted, white flowers grew - snowdrops, heralds of spring. Since then, in honor of the liberator of the world from darkness and sadness, people have been weaving two cords with white and red flowers. The red color symbolizes the love of beauty and the memory of the blood of the deceased young man, and the white color symbolizes the health and purity of the snowdrop, the first spring flower.
Story
The historical roots of Martisor remain a mystery, but it is generally believed that the holiday originated during Roman times, when the New Year was celebrated on March 1, the month of the god Mars. Mars was not only the god of war, but also the god of agriculture, contributing to the revival of nature. This duality is reflected in Martisor, where white and red can be understood as symbols of peace and war.
Archaeological excavations in Romania prove that amulets, like the modern martisor, existed about 8 thousand years ago. Then they were made in the form of small stones, painted in white and red, worn around the neck. Martisor was first mentioned by Iordache Golescu. Folklorist Simon Florea Marian wrote that in Moldova and Bukovina, a martisor consisted of a gold or silver coin on a red and white thread that children wore around their necks. The girls also wore a martisor around their necks for the first 12 days of spring, and then weaved it into their hair until the storks arrived or until the first trees bloomed. Then a red-white thread was tied to a tree, and porridge (a type of sheep's cheese) was bought with a coin.
Traditions
Martisors are worn on clothes for the whole month, and on March 31 they are removed and hung on flowering fruit trees. It is believed that thanks to this, people will be successful throughout the coming year. According to legend, if you make a wish by hanging a martisor on a tree, it will surely come true. In early April, in many cities and villages of Moldova, you can see trees hung with martisors.
In Moldova, on March 1 of each year, the music festival "Martisor" begins. This festival was first held in 1967.
In some parts of Romania, martisors are not worn throughout March, but only for the first two weeks. It is believed to bring health and well-being. In Transylvanian villages, martisors are tied to doors, windows, horns of domestic animals, as it is believed that they drive away evil spirits and give vitality. There is a belief in Bihor County that one should wash oneself with rainwater collected on March 1st in order to become more beautiful and healthier. In Banat, girls collect water or snow from strawberry leaves and wash themselves to be loved. In Dobruja, the martisor is worn until the storks arrive, and then they throw it into the sky so that happiness is “big and winged”.
