My mother Evelina, who was born in Sofia, the Bulgarian capital, told me this version when I was 6 years old. Her story originated from the Balkan pagan tradition and it comes in many variations. We celebrate her arrival on March 1 with the greeting, “Chestita Baba Marta, ” which essentially means “Happy March!” We keep honoring her until the end of the month. Literally “Grandmother March,” Baba Marta is the personification of the month that signifies the beginning of springtime. Bulgarian culture has a name for that: Baba Marta. It’s the month that bridges the gap between winter and spring, and it’s so temperamental that 70-degree weather turns to hail in a matter of hours. We watch the snow give way to budding tree branches, get buffeted by the cold wind tunnels between tall buildings, and, this year, even got somewhat of a spring break. This is what spring is, life manifests itself again after the death-like winter.March brings a lot of things. The common belief is that red stands for life and white for new, clear. The symbolism of red and white, the colours “martenitsa” is made of, is explained by many different theories. Many people put their “martenitsi” on the tree they first see in leaf. The ritual of purification from the winter and celebrating the spring includes fastеning of martinitsi on the tree when one sees a stork. The tradition is linked with ancient pagan history of the Balkan Peninsula, committed to agricultural cults. Yet, the 1st of March, the Baba Marta holiday, symbolizes the spring and brings us wishes for health and abundance in the beginning of the new cycle of life in nature. They then became a pile of stones, from which healing water started running.
#Baba marta celebration free#
Baba Marta set free all the blizzards and snowstorms and the old lady and her goats were frozen. These days are what we call “borrowed days”.
She got so mad, asked her brother April to land her a few days and got them.
The old lady was counting on Baba Marta for blessing her with good weather – she is as ancient as I am, the old lady thought to herself, she will have mercy. It was the end of March, the very last days of the month. One of the most popular tales tells us about an old lady, who took her goats out in the mountain. She gets really angry and as a result the weather breaks. She is constantly unhappy with them in different tales they drink her wine or do different mischiefs. In folklore Baba Marta is presented as the wife or sister of Big Sechko (January) and Little Sechko (February). “Chestita” means “Happy”, and Baba Marta comes from grandmother (“baba”), “Marta” is rooted in March. Pretty much everyone exchanges “martenitsa” with the words “Chestita Baba Marta”. On the 1st of March Bulgarian people celebrate the end of winter and the beginning of a new life cycle, the long awaited spring. So as this beautiful holiday is getting closer, let me tell you a bit more what is it all about, so you can share the joy with your loved ones. God, it was sooo long ago!īut even now I remember it vividly, the first “martenitsa” of the year, she always put one on my coat, one on my dress and one on my wrist. My mum used to dress me up with white leggings and a red tunic.
#Baba marta celebration full#
Instead of with predominantly black and grey – this is what they wear here in the winter – the streets were full of people decorated with red and white. Because on that day the world around me become so much more colorful and bright. Valentine celebrations for me back then :) and “martenitsa” day to arrive. When I was little I couldn`t wait for February to be over (no St.
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