Mărțișor/ The Spring Trinket

When spring begins, everything comes back to life. In early March, Romania celebrates spring in a unique and beautiful way. People have a special tradition, called “Mărțisor” (or “the trinket“, in English translation) that marks the beginning of a new cycle of life.

 I have started writing on this blog when I started to paint trinkets…5 years ago Last year I made these colorful umbrellas that remind me of Mary Poppins, my favorite childhood character.

“Marțișor” is a symbol of spring, of the returning to life and its lace, made of two twisted threads of wool, colored in red and white, represents the unity of opposites: summer-winter, heat-cold, light-dark.

“The day of March 1, according to the old calendar, was considered the beginning of the New Year, the celebration of Spring’s arrival. Mărțișor is an over 8000 years old Romanian tradition. In the time of the Dacians (Romanian ancestors), spring symbols were made during winter and were worn starting with March 1st. Mărțișor were then white and red pebbles, strung on a string and worn around one’s neck. The red color, given by fire, blood and sun, was attributed to life, hence to women. White, on the other hand, conferred by the clarity of water, the white of the clouds, was specific to the wisdom of men. Besides, the cord of the Mărțișor expresses the inseparable interweaving of the two principle as a permanent movement of matter. It signifies the exchange of vital forces that give rise to life, the continuous cycle of nature. ” Read more here. Source: www.theworldreporter.com

You can find more trinkets in my archive of “Mărțișoare”.It might be just the beginning of February but my thoughts are turning to spring already Are you looking forward to spring?

photo: Simcute

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