Baba Marta and Finished Roofs

On March first here in Bulgaria, and in parts of Romania, people celebrate Baba Marta.  It is a celebration of the coming of spring.  People exchange martanitzas, red and white string bracelets. The martanitzas can be very elaborate, made of leather or silk with a proper clasp for closing or very simple, twisted yarn that is knotted on the wrist. We exchange them with friends and family. They are given out at restaurants and at the checkout line in the grocery store.  Some people, usually older folks, pin other martanitzas on their coat.  The pins are little figurines made of yarn.  They are to stay on until the wearer sees a stork or a bud flowering on a fruit tree.  Then, you take it off and tie it on a tree. 

These are the ones you pin.  I prefer the bracelets.

     

This holiday and tradition is so incredibly dear to me. It is very sweet to get a small reminder of a coming spring. To exchange them with friends and have reminders of those fond relationships until there is real promise of lasting sunshine is wonderfully kind.  More than anything else, I am keeping this tradition back in the States. And it is true, the weather gets better every day. Things seem better every day. I dried my clothes outside for the first time. I am now on the lookout for a jacket; and soon I can hike on Mt. Vitosha. I might miss this place very much when I have to leave.

They finished the addition across the street.  And somehow this means as much as Baba Marta does. I feel like anything is possible