from spartacus to krum the new 359: Baba Marta

Baba Marta (Баба Марта) is a holiday only in Bulgaria celebrated on the first of March. Grandma March is a legendary women who is very temperamental, much similar to March's weather, she can be nice and warm or cold and mean. Mainly this day is celebrated by giving friends and family martenitsi, bracelets of red and white thread. White represents purity and a wish for good health, red is the symbol of life, blood and passion.

You have to wear the martenitsi until one of three things happens:
1) You see a stork in the sky, the apparently migrate this time of year
2) You see the first bud on a fruit tree
3) April 1st

If 1 or 2 happens then you take the martenitsi off and tie them to trees, preferable a fruit or nut one, for a good harvest. If 3 happens you take them off and put them under a rock, also for a good harvest.

Dori told me another legend on Monday (Feb 28th) when she gave me thread and showed me how to make them by hand, most people opt to buy them in the stores these days. When Khan Asparuh united the various tribes of Bulgaria to create the First Bulgarian Empire around 680AD he used carrier pigeons to send messages to his allies in said tribes. When the birds were in sight they were shot down and the messages read. The blood from the birds got all over the white piece of paper aka message that was tied around their legs, and that's why the colors red and white are used. I spent most of my day in the office Monday making martenitsi, and the evening upstairs with my landlady where she showed me more difficult and time consuming ways that looked way better.

Martenitsi Making Monday

at the end of the day

The school had a concert for Baba Marta much similar in style to the Christmas one, but it was better attended by women then men and generally in a happier attitude then Christmas. Every guest got a martenitsa from the 7th grade girl chosen to play Baba Marta and all the kids got one from the baba who came by to watch dressed as Baba Marta.