01/03/2019
Today, on the first day of March, Romanians celebrate the coming of spring in their own unique way.
"Mărțișor" - diminutive of marț - literally translated as "little March" is the way Romanians mark the beginning of the season.
It basically represents a red and white string, on which small decorations can be tied, offered by people on the first day of March.
In the old days, it was believed that the "Mărțișor" brought health and good spirit for the year to come, as a talisman of the new invigorating season. People would wear it until the very last day of the month when they would tie it to the branches of a tree, in order to blossom just like the flowers. In some parts of the country, a gold or silver coin would be tied on the string, which was used to buy red wine and sweet cheese in order to have all year long skin just as white as the cheese and ruddy as the red wine. Nowadays, "Mărțișor" has become more of a symbol of friendship used to express love, appreciation and respect.
Are you wondering where the whole "Mărțișor" thing came from? Well, some ethnologies consider "Mărțișor" to have a Roman origin, as New Year's Eve was celebrated on the 1st of March in Ancient Rome, while others believe it has a Daco-Thracian origin. But all attest the connection between this celebration and the spring, as a renewed season regarding land, vegetation and fertility.
Initially, the "Mărțișor" used to be called the Year's Rope and it was made of black and white wool threads, representing the 365 days of the year. It was considered the link between summer and winter, light and dark, warm and cold, life and death, marking the beginning of a new season.
The red thread represents vitality, blood and life while white is the colour of snow, clouds and winter.
In some interpretations, "Mărțișor" represents the union between feminine and masculine, passion and vitality, presented in many customs of the Romanian folklore.
Anyway, we wish you a joyful spring, with a lot of laughter, love and the most important: as many trips and you want! See you in Brasov! 😊
