March 1st - the holiday of martenitsas and spring

March 1st is one of the favorite holidays of young and old. With it we set the symbolic beginning of the new economic year, spring and the rebirth of nature. On this day, everyone decorates not only with the martenitsas that their closest people have given them, but also with a smile and hope for a new, better start. We will try to convey the festive mood of this day, while introducing you to the little-known ancient customs and traditions associated with it.

All over the world people welcome spring with great joy and excitement, but Bulgaria is one of the few countries that celebrate its arrival with such a great holiday, full of traditions whose roots lie in the distant past of our people. Here in Bulgaria, there is no way we can talk about the 1st of March and not mention “Baba Marta” (Grandma Marta). According to popular belief, she is either an old and lame woman or a young and beautiful girl, but in both cases she represents the sun and spring. It is also a personification of the month of March, which is not accidentally called the "women's month", and is again a symbol of the conception of spring and the land that will give birth to summer and fertility.

The legends and traditions associated with Baba Marta are numerous. According to one of them, she is the sister of Little and Big Sechko (this way Bulgarians called January and February in the past) and is furious and angry because her two brothers either do some great mischief or always drink all the wine and do not let her try it. Another legend tells of a goatherd who took her flock to the mountains early in the morning despite her husband's warnings of bad weather. She was convinced that Baba Marta would give her good weather, because she is a woman like her. The young woman's words angered the old woman. It wasn't long before black clouds hung over the mountain. The goatherd never returned home - she and her goats froze and turned into a pile of stones from which healing water flowed.

As you may have noticed, all the stories are unanimous about Baba Marta's fierce and changeable mood, which affects the weather. In the past, Bulgarians believed that when she laughed, it would be sunny and warm outside, but if she got angry, a strong wind would blow and clouds would cover the sun. That is why a large part of the traditions and customs associated with this day and the month as a whole is dedicated to the atonement of Baba Marta. It is believed that on the first of March she visits people and crops, wearing a red dress, red socks and a red headscarf. People believed that the old woman would only enter the neat and tidy house, and for this reason at the end of February the families cleaned their homes thoroughly. This spring cleaning symbolized for them getting rid of everything bad, old and unnecessary left over from last year. It was also common in the yard to take out and spread a red tablecloth, belt or mattress, because people thought that this would make Baba Marta happy and provoke her kindness to the house and its inhabitants.

The old woman also had requirements for the people she would meet on March 1. She did not like to see old women, so they stayed at home so as not to anger her. On the other hand, young girls and children enjoyed her favor, and thanks to them the weather could be warm and sunny. Baba Marta was extremely kind to the people who wore martenitsas, hence the centuries-old tradition of adorning ourselves with white and red threads on this day.

Martenitsa is one of the most beloved Bulgarian symbols. Most often it is made of twisted woolen or cotton white and red threads. Each of the colors has its meaning - white symbolizes purity, innocence, a new beginning, and red symbolizes life, conception, energy of the sun and fertility. However, in different parts of Bulgaria martenitsas can be made of other colors. For example, in the Rhodopes they are multicolored, and in the Sofia and Melnik regions they may be blue and red. When making the martenitsa, the threads must be twisted to the left and sometimes various symbols can be added, such as a snail shell for health and strength, anti-lesson beads, a clove of garlic to protect against evil demons or a coin for well-being. 

How are martenitsas worn and when are they removed, read in Part 2 of the article.