Baba Marta day tradition! In Bulgaria, the spring holiday Baba Marta (Grandmother March) is on March 1 and celebrates the coming of spring. People exchange martenitsi with friends and family and wear them around their wrist or pinned to their clothes until they see a flowering tree or a migrating bird, especially a stork.
A martenitsa is a small red and white tassel or braided wristband made of yarn. Some are in the shape of little people. The red and white means a fresh start for spring.
A martenitsa is a small red and white tassel or braided wristband made of yarn. Some are in the shape of little people. The red and white means a fresh start for spring.
Once you see the first signs of spring, either hang it on a tree branch to give it good luck for spring or put it under a rock and come back the next day to read your fortune. If the closest creature to the martenitsa is a larva or worm, you will have good luck. If it’s an ant, you will have good luck but you’ll have to work hard for it! If it’s a spider, you may have bad luck.
Make your own martinitsa by braiding red and white yarn into a bracelet, or by wrapping red and white yarn (wool or cotton if you plan to put them outside later) around a piece of cardboard at least 20 times, sliding it off the cardboard, tying it about ¼ of the way down, and then cutting the loop at the bottom of the long end to make a tassel.
It’s a good chance to ask your kids what are the signs of spring? Go out and look for them! Why do they think people celebrate spring holiday? Do they know any other holidays that celebrate spring?
Chestita Baba Marta day tradition (Happy Baba Marta)!
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