Ah, Mărțișor. One of the Romanian holidays where strange men can give women gifts without it seeming creepy. With March a time for spring and renewal Romanians and Moldavians alike take this time to observe Mărțișor for hopes for a rich and prosperous springtime.
As new birth and life often correlate with women and fertility, the holiday focuses on offering women trinkets symbolizing the continuity of life. The trinkets, or mărțișor, usually red and white twisted threads of wool, are given to women to show respect and admiration.
The intertwining of red and white may represent the combination between woman and man, passion and purity. It may also mean vitality and victory, since March used to kick start the war campaign season back in ancient Rome. Whatever the symbolism between red and white, most would agree the combination should bring strength and health for the upcoming year.
Worn pinned to shirts or wrapped around the wrist, women wear the trinket for a number of days: sometimes twelve, sometimes until the end of March, others until the first blossom sighting before tying the strings to a tree for promises of wealth and prosperity. The red and white trimmed mărțișor may also come with coins, jewels and beads a modern twist to old folklore. They love Swarovski crystal around here. I wore my trinket that our doorman Lucien gave me up until Margo spit up on it.
The mărțișor threads weren’t always colored red and white. Instead they used to consist of black and white sheep’s wool. According to one version of Romanian mythology, the black and white threads were spun by Baba Dochia, a crazy-assed witch associated with spring's predictably fickle return. She spun black and white threads called the Year’s Rope, or Funia Anului where 365 days hung by a thread. They represented the idea of opposite forces such as light versus dark, good versus evil, the black and white colors intermingle, much like yin and yang, creating an inescapable unity.
Here's the Maury Povich version of the story: Intent to trick her hussy daughter-in-law, Baba Dochia set out to punish her by sending her into the forest to pick berries. God intervened, helping the daughter-in-law's success in finding berries which in turn caused Baba Dochia to think springtime had returned. She left for the mountains with her son and goats in tow, wearing twelve lambskins but then the rain began to fall soaking them through. One by one she shed the skins, when suddenly the frost returned leading her to freeze to death. That's karma for you.
Whatever the intended meaning of the mixed colors, Mărțișor is a fun and lighthearted holiday meant to remember the important women in your life and the inspiration of new beginnings. Any day that focuses on that is okay in my book.
As new birth and life often correlate with women and fertility, the holiday focuses on offering women trinkets symbolizing the continuity of life. The trinkets, or mărțișor, usually red and white twisted threads of wool, are given to women to show respect and admiration.
Worn pinned to shirts or wrapped around the wrist, women wear the trinket for a number of days: sometimes twelve, sometimes until the end of March, others until the first blossom sighting before tying the strings to a tree for promises of wealth and prosperity. The red and white trimmed mărțișor may also come with coins, jewels and beads a modern twist to old folklore. They love Swarovski crystal around here. I wore my trinket that our doorman Lucien gave me up until Margo spit up on it.
The mărțișor threads weren’t always colored red and white. Instead they used to consist of black and white sheep’s wool. According to one version of Romanian mythology, the black and white threads were spun by Baba Dochia, a crazy-assed witch associated with spring's predictably fickle return. She spun black and white threads called the Year’s Rope, or Funia Anului where 365 days hung by a thread. They represented the idea of opposite forces such as light versus dark, good versus evil, the black and white colors intermingle, much like yin and yang, creating an inescapable unity.
Whatever the intended meaning of the mixed colors, Mărțișor is a fun and lighthearted holiday meant to remember the important women in your life and the inspiration of new beginnings. Any day that focuses on that is okay in my book.
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