Today is the day of Baba Marta (Granny March), and it celebrates the first day of spring. It was bitterly cold here in Stara Zagora, but at least for the time being, there are no signs of snow. In Bulgaria, it is tradition to give out bracelets made of red and white yarn or thread on Baba Marta as symbols of luck, prosperity, and health. I bought mine from an actual baba (granny) on a street near my apartment and handed them out to my students. In return, I received quite a few bracelets. I only had one class today, but I managed to accumulate a sizable number of martenitsi (the bracelets).
I have heard multiple stories of why people give martenitsi on the first of March, but my favorite story came from my ninth graders today. According to them, Khan Asparuh, the ruler of Bulgaria in the 600's, was forced to flee their homeland shortly after his father's death, leaving his sister and brother behind. He agreed to send a bird with a golden thread attached to its leg when he found a safe land. So he sent a falcon with a white thread, and they escaped to the river Danube to flee into Bulgaria. As they reached the river, the conquerors of their homeland spotted them and shot arrows at them. The arrow wounded them both and stained the thread red, but they made it across the river where they died in Asparuh's arms. Asparuh tied the thread on his arm as a prayer to grandmother March to show mercy in the future. These days, the white has come to symbolize purity and the Virgin Mary, and the red symbolizes the blood of life and sacrifice to reflect the change to Christianity. After receiving the martenitsi, you wait and tie them on the trees as they began to bloom.
So, Честита Баба Марта! Happy Granny March!
My martenitsi!
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