Dr.Ioan Meșotă National College

 Mărțișor- A Romanian Spring Tradition

Mărțișor is an old tradition celebrated all over Romania every year, on March 1st. The name Mărțișor is a diminutive of March (Martie in Romanian). It is believed that the person who wears the red and white string would enjoy a prosperous and healthy year.

Not long ago, in the countryside, people used to celebrate the Mărțișor by hanging a red and white string at their the gate, window, cattle's horn and shed to protect them against evil spirits and to invoke nature's regenerative power.

In eastern Romania (Moldova and Bucovina), the red and white string was complemented with a small  gold or silver  coin. After wearing the coin for twelve days, the women would buy fresh cheese with it hoping that their skin would be healthy and beautiful the entire year.

According to archaeological research, the Mărțișor traces its history back to  more than 8,000 years. Some ethnologists believe that the Mărțișor celebration has Roman origins, others support the theory that it is an old Dacian tradition.

In ancient Rome, the New Year was celebrated on the 1st of March. March ('Martius') was named in the honour of the god Mars. Mars was not only the god of war, but also the god of agriculture, which contributes to the rebirth of vegetation.

The Dacians also celebrated the New Year on the first day of March. Ample spring celebrations were dedicated to this event.

Back in the old times, Mărțișoare were made of small river pebbles, coloured in white and red, strung on a thread and worn around the neck. They were worn to bring good luck and good weather, from March 1 until the first trees would bloom. When the first trees blossomed, the Mărțișor was hanged on tree branches.

Nowadays, on March 1, Romanians buy silky red-white threads (șnur) tied into a bow to which a small trinket is attached and offer them to their (female) family members, friends and colleagues to show friendship, respect or admiration.

This symbol, recently included in the UNESCO heritage, was a source of inspiration to composers as well 

In case you want to create your own mărțișor, here is a tutorial