Mărţişor fericit

Spring has come, and every country has its own way of celebrating. In Romania, like in Bulgaria, on 1st of March they celebrate Mărţişor, "little March". It could be defined as a woman holiday, in the sense that women are the centre of it, because they are given flowers or little talisman tied with red and white laces called also Mărţişor. You must wear Martisoare from 1st of March until 8th March, and it's good luck. Afterwards, you keep all you had been given tied to some tree or plant at home, to bring you happiness for the rest of the year.

Bring you happiness for the rest of the year... don't worry, if you forget about Mărţişor, you'll have another opportunity in Easter, when the pope will light a candle at the church, and will pass the light (lumina) to the parishioners. You must keep that light lit and take it home, where it should extinguish naturally, and your house will be blessed for the rest of the year. And then you can go out and have fun, as that night is a two-folded holiday, having the family and religious sense of Spanish catholic Christmas Eve (dining at home and going to church at midnight, although that is not done so often as in Romania) ,and the pagan and joyful sense of New Year's Eve (a lot of chatter while people wait the candle to be lit up, and groups of friends going out all night).

But let's come back to Mărţişor. I feel lazy, so I leave serious, impartial descriptions for others, in English or Spanish. I just want to describe the atmosphere, the way I felt it.

Last day of work before Mărţişor, being a woman, you get small presents of your male colleagues, either flowers or Mărţişoare... and you wonder again why they don't have days off for important holidays like this; this year 1st of March was Sunday, but had it been Monday, it would have been a working day.

Then, if spring is really approaching and weather is good enough, you might feel like walking around the city 25 February, 28 February, 1st March... You'll find more flower stalls than ever, and many Mărţişoare stalls outside markets or at the stations of the underground.

And then 1st of March comes, and it's like 14th February is supposed to be if you watch TV, but this time for real, specially if it's Sunday like today: people buying cakes and flowers to take to friend's and family who they are going to have lunch or dinner with, couples taking a walk and holding hands, carrying Mărţişoare and flowers, specially bouquets of ghiocel (white, lilac, rose).

But it is like 14th February in one sense... Everyone seeks a gain... The PSD candidate from your Bucharest municipal Sector sends you a postcard, and some shops include a red-white Mărţişor lace on their plastic bags...











But I'll forget the vested uses of the holiday, and will keep memories of the associated feelings, as people do seem to sense the holiday around here. And me too, because springtime did come (sunny 9 degrees today), and we all feel happy and lucky!