martenitsa

Bulgarian tradition

A Martenitsa is a small piece of adornment, made of white and red yarn and usually in the form of two dolls, a white male and a red female. Martenitsi are worn from Baba Marta Day until the wearer first sees a stork, swallow, or blossoming tree. The name of the holiday means "Grandma March" in Bulgarian and Macedonian, the holiday and the wearing of Martenitsi are a Bulgarian tradition related to welcoming the spring, which according to Bulgarian folklore begins in March. Inscribed in 2017 on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

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