Happy “ Martisor ”!

“ Martisor ” is the traditional celebration of the beginning of the spring in Romania , on March 1 . The day's name is the diminutive of March (“ Martie ” in Romanian), and thus it means "little" or "dear March".

The custom nowadays is for men to offer women a talisman object, called “ Martisor ” , consisting of a jewel or a small decoration representing a flower, an animal or good luck charms such as miniature horseshoe, trefoil or chimney sweeper tied to a red and white string.

In older times, the “ martisor ” was a little nickel tied to a red and white string and was originally designated for both men and women.

It is believed that the one who wears the red and white string will be powerful and healthy for the year to come while the decoration is a symbol of the coming spring. A woman should wear the “ martisor ” pinned to her blouse, on this day and up to two weeks after.

In some parts of Romania such as Moldova or Bukovina the symbol of spring was a gold or silver medal which was worn around the neck. After wearing the coin for twelve days, people bought sweet cheese with the medal, because it was believed that their faces would remain beautiful and white the entire year.

The History of Martisor

Martisor is the symbol of spring celebrating the first of March. Its beginnings are still a mystery, but it is usually said that it originated in Rome, because in the Roman Empire New Year was celebrated on the 1st of March, the month of god Mars.

Mars was the god of agriculture and signified the rebirth of nature. Also for the Thracians, Marsyas-Silen , whose cult was related to the vegetation and land, he had the same attributes. Therefore the flower and nature celebrations were dedicated to him.

God Mars had double role: both protector of agriculture and of war. This duality of symbols is kept in the colors of the Martisor ribbon: white and red, meaning peace and war (it might also symbolize winter and spring).