Marţişor

Marţişor [martz ee shor]: (1) The first day of March, marking the coming of spring and the end of winter (2) The traditional Romanian word for the month of March (3) Anything tied to red and white ribbon (see left) and given to women on (1) and worn throughout (2).

Let it be noted: Romanians go all out for spring. And I must say, after experiencing what's referred to as only a "relatively mild" Romanian winter, I can definitely relate to this joy at seeing the sun again.

About one week before this monumental day rolled around, stands selling small knick knacks of every variety appeared on virtually every street corner. The picture above shows some of the more traditional designs, although, as you'll soon see, it is certainly not limited to these.

The Museum of the Romanian Peasant hosted a 3-day market in honor of spring, and of course I couldn't resist. After eating sausage and barbequed pork on the lawn of the museum courtyard, we wound our way through the hordes of people buying even larger hordes of marţişor, soon to be given to every woman in their lives, keeping with tradition.

A few hours and several hundred variations later, we came to the conclusion that as long as it is tied to red and white thread and is relatively small, pretty much anything can be called a marţişor. For example, beyond the traditional designs of delicate flowers, birds and other things keeping with the springtime theme, we saw pebbles painted as frogs, half an egg shell used as a planter for grass, clay elephant-looking concoctions, yellow smiley faces, crocheted dolls, plastic Happy Meal-esque toys, and painted bookmarks.

The thing that ties these all together, if you'll pardon the pun, is this red and white thread. White symbolizes winter, red symbolizes life and blood and everything vibrant about spring. The two colors are wound together and attached to everything. Even the jewelry, handbags and hand-carved wooden spoons (see left) were bound for good measure.

Everywhere I go, I see girls in red and white. Pinned to their shirts, their backpacks. Bracelets, necklaces, hair ties, even larger cords around their waists as belts. Traditionally it's an assurance of health and strength for the coming year, and the younger generation has embraced it as some kind of spectacular fashion statement. I plan on embracing this tradition for many Marţişors to come.