Martenitsa
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Martenitsa (Bulgarian:мартеница, plural martenitsi (мартеници)) is a Bulgarian tradition related to March 1, which has its origin in the establishment of the Bulgarian state in 681 AD. Mart is the Bulgarian word for "March" (Bulgarian:март, mart)
The month of March, according to Bulgarian folklore, marks the beginning of springtime. Therefore, the first day of March is a traditional holiday associated with sending off the winter and welcoming the spring.
The tradition is similar in many ways with the Romanian custom of Mărţişor, celebrated on the same day.
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[edit] Legend of the Founding of Bulgaria
Khan Kubrat’s five sons went hunting accompanied by their sister Houba. When they reached the River Danube they saw a silver stag. Mesmerized, the men did not dare shoot at him. The stag crossed over to the opposite bank of the river showing them there was a ford.
A bird flew to them bringing bad tidings. Their father, the founder of Old Great Bulgaria was on his deathbed. In his last hours Kubrat wanted to tell his offspring—Bayan, Kotrag, Asparukh, Kouber and Altsek—not to sever the still tenuous link between the different Bulgarian tribes. His sons vowed to defend Bulgaria.
Soon after their father’s death, the Khazars invaded their lands. The Khazar's Khan Ashiba succeeded in conquering the capital Phanagoria. Houba, Kubrat's daughter, was taken prisoner by Ashiba. Hoping to give her brothers a chance for freedom, Houba tried to commit suicide but was stopped by the guards.
Her brothers kept their vows in different ways. Bayan stayed with his sister and recognized the supremacy of the Khazars. Kotrag went northwards, to the River Volga, while Asparukh, Kouber and Altsek went south to search for a land without oppressors.
The brothers who left secretly arranged with Houba and Bayan to send word by a golden thread tied to the leg of a bird if they were able to find a free land. One day a falcon sent by Asparukh flew into Houba's room and she and Bayan quickly made plans to escape. Just as they were looking for a place to cross the Danube River, Khazar pursuers spotted and rushed toward them. Trying to find a ford, Houba let the falcon free. She tied a white thread to its leg and handed it to her brother.
Just as the bird was about to take off, an enemy arrow pierced Bayan and his blood stained the white thread.
While both Bayan and Houba managed to reach the land Asparukh had found (present-day Bulgaria) they were at the point of death by the time they did so. Asparukh welcomed his dying brother and sister. He tore the pieces of white-and-red stained thread and adorned his soldiers with them.
[edit] Tradition
On the first of March and the first few days after, Bulgarians give to one another white and red tassels or small wool dolls called Pizho and Penda, or Martenitsi. (In their name is Mart, Bulgarian for "March.") Additionally, according to Bulgarian folk-tradition, the name Mart is related to an angry old lady who changes her mood very rapidly. Her name is Grandma Marta, in Bulgarian, Baba Marta.
The tradition has remained almost the same today as was when it began. Today Bulgarians give one another the red and white colors to please Baba Marta so that she will not make winter last. In doing so, they hope the spring will come as soon as possible. Once the tokens have been given, being worn on the clothes or around the wrist, they are worn until the wearer spies a stork. This bird is considered a harbinger of spring and is evidence that Baba Marta has been pleased.
The process of discarding of the token after removal is different in different parts of Bulgaria. Some tie them on fruit trees, thus giving the tree the health and luck that the bearer is thought to have had while having the token. There are some people who put them under stones. The thought being that the type of insect closest to the token the next day will determine the person's health for the rest of the year. If the insect is a worm, the coming year will be healthy, and full of success. The same luck is associated with an ant; the difference being that the person will have to work hard to reach success. If the creature near the token is a spider, then the person is in trouble and might not have luck, health, or personal success.
The "martenitsa" is also a stylized symbol of nature. At that early-spring/late-winter time of the year, nature seems full of hopes and expectations. The white symbolizes the purity of the melting white snow and the red symbolizes the setting of the sun which becomes more and more intense as spring progresses. These two natural resources are necessary for the life as well as being tied to the male and female spirits.
A decoration with "martenitsi" is the most typical and unique Bulgarian tradition. Now the "martenitsa" symbolized new life, conception, fertility, and spring. This holiday is for joy, health and long life. This Bulgarian tradition is pure and bright like the colors of the "martenitsa". It shows the necessity of harmony in nature and in people's lives. This is the sincere message from the "martenitsa". Romanians also have an almost identical tradition on the 1 March, called "Mărţişor".
