“Mărțișor” – an immortal
Romanian tradition
Each year, on March 1st, Romanians celebrate “Mărțișor”,
which is a cultural practice marking the changing of seasons,
while everybody
is sensing that spring is in the air.
To all my friends who honor this custom, I’m
wishing them joy, peace and prosperity!
● Remarks:
In
2017, UNESCO decided to inscribe “Mărțișor“ on their list of Intangible
Cultural Heritage of Humanity…please follow the links below for a more detailed
reading about this significant gesture…thank you!
● Brief historical background info about “Mărțișor” (March 1)
The
name “Mărțișor” (mərt͡siˈʃor) is the diminutive of “Marț”, the old
folk name for March (“martie”, in modern Romanian language), &
literally means "the little March". The actual “Mărțișor” is made of
a small decorative object, tied to a white & red string, with two hanging
tassels, which is offered customarily on the 1st day of March to girls, women
& men (in some parts of the country) as it is believed that the
wearer will stay strong & healthy throughout the entire year ahead. In the
old times “Mărțișor” was regarded more as a protective talisman, but in modern
days, & especially in the urban areas, most of its talisman properties got
lost and “Mărțișor” became more of a symbol of friendship, love, appreciation
& respect, as well as a symbol of the coming spring in addition to the
snowdrop flowers.
● Previous events I organized featuring “Mărțișor”– 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019
● Previous events I organized featuring “Mărțișor”– 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019
NOTE: Dear readers, please be advised that on this website each of the previous postings, pertaining to the recurrent annual themes, portray a different perspective of the subject/s presented (same theme/s, but a different outlook without duplication due to the cultural richness of the specific topic/s discussed).