Baba Marta
Encyclopedia
Baba Marta is the name of a mythical figure who brings with her the end of the cold winter and the beginning of the spring. Her holiday
of the same name is celebrated in Bulgaria
on March 1 with the exchange and wearing of martenitsi
.
Eagerly followed on March 1 every single year, the tradition of giving your friends red-and-white interwoven strings brings health and happiness during the year and is a reminder that spring is near.
Celebrated on March 1, Baba Marta (Grandma March) is believed to be a feisty lady who always seems to be grudging at her two brothers, while the sun only comes out when she smiles.
As folklore often goes there are different versions of the Baba Marta tale. One says that on that day she does her pre-spring cleaning and shakes her mattress for the last time before the next winter - all the feathers that come out of it pour on Earth like snow - the last snow of the year.
The martenitsa tradition is thought to have been inspired by Bulgaria's first Khan Asparuh, who sent a white string to his wife to tell her he survived a battle.
People are supposed to take off their martenitsi when they see the first signs that spring has already come - a blooming tree or a stork.
When the martenitsa is taken off some tie it to a tree - one that they'd like to be especially fruitful. Others place it under a rock and based on what they find there the next morning guess what kind of a year this one would be.
The martenitsa now comes in all shapes and sizes - from Guiness-worth giant building packages to two tiny simple strings gently placed on a newborn's arm. Children usually compete who will get the most and often walk around more ornate than a Christmas tree.
However, it always bears the same meaning - a lucky charm against the evil spirits of the world, a token for health and a sign of appreciation.
Baba Marta folklore is present in southern and eastern Serbia
where it is a usual reference as to the sudden and unexpected freezing weather change after a spring break.
On March 1 Bulgarians pay tribute to Grandma March, also known as Baba Marta, by tying red and white strings called martenitsa around their wrists. The bracelet serves as reminder of the coming change of season.
The white color symbolizes first man, the power light solar zone. Later, under the influence of Christian mythology indicates the integrity and virginity – the white is the color of Christ. Red is the woman and health: it is a sign of blood, conception and birth. In ancient times women’s wedding dress were red. Matenitsi is kind of amulet against evil forces and wearing a martenitsa is a magical ritual act: the twisted red and white wool threads protect people through the mechanisms of black magic.
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 1st of March you will witness many smiling faces, but first of all your eyes will be captured by martenitsi. Everyone has decorated their clothes with them. Moreover, you can see decorated dogs and cats. In the small villages in the mountains people decorate their domestic animals: lambs, kids, young horses. Houses have their own martenitsa, as well.
People wear martenitsa 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 martenitsa and tie them to a blossomed fruit tree.
Baba Marta Day
Grandma March Day is a holiday celebrated in Bulgaria, on the first of March. Martenitsa - usually in the form of a wrist band, woven by combining red and white colored threads - are worn on that day and through March, until a stork or a bloomed tree is seen, symbolizing warmer weather and well...
of the same name is celebrated in Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
on March 1 with the exchange and wearing of martenitsi
Martenitsa
Martenitsa is a small piece of adornment, made of white and red yarn and worn from March 1 until around the end of March . 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
Baba Marta is seen as an old lady who has very contrasting moods. This is related to the weather during the month of March, which is traditionally extremely variable in Bulgaria – warm and sunny weather means that Baba Marta is happy; when she is angry, the winter frost returns. The majority of the customs connected to Baba Marta aim to make her happy and so bring about spring all the fickers faster.Baba Marta Day
All Bulgarians celebrate on March 1 a centuries-old tradition and exchange martenitsi on what is called the day of Baba Marta, which this year dawned with a shy sun, spelling relatively nice weather ahead.Eagerly followed on March 1 every single year, the tradition of giving your friends red-and-white interwoven strings brings health and happiness during the year and is a reminder that spring is near.
Celebrated on March 1, Baba Marta (Grandma March) is believed to be a feisty lady who always seems to be grudging at her two brothers, while the sun only comes out when she smiles.
As folklore often goes there are different versions of the Baba Marta tale. One says that on that day she does her pre-spring cleaning and shakes her mattress for the last time before the next winter - all the feathers that come out of it pour on Earth like snow - the last snow of the year.
The martenitsa tradition is thought to have been inspired by Bulgaria's first Khan Asparuh, who sent a white string to his wife to tell her he survived a battle.
Martenitsi
"Martenitsi" are red and white coloured wristbands, or figurines, that symbolise health and happiness. They are given away to friends and family.People are supposed to take off their martenitsi when they see the first signs that spring has already come - a blooming tree or a stork.
When the martenitsa is taken off some tie it to a tree - one that they'd like to be especially fruitful. Others place it under a rock and based on what they find there the next morning guess what kind of a year this one would be.
The martenitsa now comes in all shapes and sizes - from Guiness-worth giant building packages to two tiny simple strings gently placed on a newborn's arm. Children usually compete who will get the most and often walk around more ornate than a Christmas tree.
However, it always bears the same meaning - a lucky charm against the evil spirits of the world, a token for health and a sign of appreciation.
Baba Marta folklore is present in southern and eastern Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
where it is a usual reference as to the sudden and unexpected freezing weather change after a spring break.
See also
- MartenitsaMartenitsaMartenitsa is a small piece of adornment, made of white and red yarn and worn from March 1 until around the end of March . 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...
- Pizho and PendaPizho and PendaPizho and Penda are the names of the two small wool dolls of a typical Bulgarian Martenitsa. Pizho is the male doll, usually in white dominating color. Penda is the female doll, usually in red dominating color, and is distinguished by her skirt....
- Baba Marta DayBaba Marta DayGrandma March Day is a holiday celebrated in Bulgaria, on the first of March. Martenitsa - usually in the form of a wrist band, woven by combining red and white colored threads - are worn on that day and through March, until a stork or a bloomed tree is seen, symbolizing warmer weather and well...
- Baba DochiaBaba DochiaIn Romanian mythology, Baba Dochia, or The Old Dokia, is a figure identified with the return of spring. She is sometimes imagined as “an old woman who insults the month of March when she goes out with a herd of sheep or goats.” Her name probably originates from the Byzantine calendar, which...
On March 1 Bulgarians pay tribute to Grandma March, also known as Baba Marta, by tying red and white strings called martenitsa around their wrists. The bracelet serves as reminder of the coming change of season.
The white color symbolizes first man, the power light solar zone. Later, under the influence of Christian mythology indicates the integrity and virginity – the white is the color of Christ. Red is the woman and health: it is a sign of blood, conception and birth. In ancient times women’s wedding dress were red. Matenitsi is kind of amulet against evil forces and wearing a martenitsa is a magical ritual act: the twisted red and white wool threads protect people through the mechanisms of black magic.
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 1st of March you will witness many smiling faces, but first of all your eyes will be captured by martenitsi. Everyone has decorated their clothes with them. Moreover, you can see decorated dogs and cats. In the small villages in the mountains people decorate their domestic animals: lambs, kids, young horses. Houses have their own martenitsa, as well.
People wear martenitsa 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 martenitsa and tie them to a blossomed fruit tree.
External links
- Grandmother Marta, traditional Bulgarian custom, from BalkanFolk.com, 26 Feb 2009. Retrieved Mar 2009.