Romanians celebrate spring’s arrival from its first day with Martisor.
Spring! The long-awaited spring will be here in days just as winter has dropped its final snowflakes. The sun caresses all living nature, the days are longer, even the people are happier.
Martisor is a celebration of spring and represented by talismans which are a symbol of hope and renewal, a sign of spring’s arrival, offered as a lucky charm, wrapped with a braid of white and red thread, tied to the hand or pinned to the clothes, next to the heart.
The origins of Martisor are not exact, but its presence in Romania dates back 8,000 years. Recent archaeological diggings have revealed Martisor amulets, formed of white and red painted stones worn on the neck. Until 153 BC and the introduction of the pre-Julian Roman calendar, Martisor (1st of March) was the day of spring equinox and the beginning of the year for many civilisations, but in time it became a traditional celebration of life revival.
In some areas Martisor was made of gold and silver coins, fastened with a white and red thread and worn by children around their neck at the beginning of each spring to protect them from any diseases or other harms. In others, the braid was enriched with symbols of luck: four-leaf clover, horseshoe, basketball or heart and worn by girls until the trees bloom and then it was tied on the most beautiful tree branch.
Tradition says that Martisor must be worn from the sunrise of the first day of spring until cherry trees bloom. In modern times, the tradition has moved to the urban world and Martisor has become fashionable being worn as statement jewellery.
We do celebrate this tradition and in December 2017 Romania succeeded in getting Martisor recognised on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
May this Navigator article be your Martisor! We wish you a great spring with many sunny moments and achievements.
Andreea Albu
Senior Relationship Manager
Global Securities Services Romania