1st Snowdrops of March

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The annual Miracle of late Winter displays its power once again as the first Snowdrops of Spring emerge from the frozen soil. The festival of Martisor celebrated in Eastern Europe nonetheless is very appropriate to this land as well. Its traditional symbol is the Snowdrop.

The festival of Martisor is one of the most ancient in Europe. I have written about it every year and one year retold an ancient legend that explains its symbolism.

It is believed to have been brought to Eastern Europe by the Thracians or Dacians. The month of March is named for the god Mars and is sacred to him. The festival of Martisor probably has its roots in Roman Festivals at the beginning of March. Among the Dacians, the god was Marsyas Silen.

Martisor is both the name of the Festival and the name of the charm that is worn in honour of the Festival. The charm primarily consists of threads of two different colours twisted together. Originally, a small coin was attached to the threads. Traditional good luck symbols including chimney sweeps, shamrocks, and tiny figures often are used instead of coins in contemporary Martisor charms.

It is traditional to give a Martisor to women of all ages. Given often on 1 March, it is pinned to the chest and worn until the advent of Spring is seen either in the form of the first blossom on a tree or the first flight of birds across the sky.

In other traditions, girls and women collect rainwater, snow or dew early in the morning on 1 March (or until 10 March) and wash their faces in it, believing that the water has special purity and potency for beauty.

Although the Martisor has become a personal charm, it originally protected home, land and livestock. Part of the ritual of creating the Martisor involved precise measurement of the doors, house gate and window frames, and the twisted threads would be placed at each location as well for protection. Martisor would be placed on the horns of livestock and on buckets, again for protection against evil.

Earliest Martisors found in archaeological sites in Romania are 8000 years old and consist of rocks painted blue and white, tied together with a cord to be worn round the neck. Later, white and black yarn was twisted to create the talisman. The colours of the Martisor ultimately became white and red. It is said that the white represents snow, purity and the Snowdrop and red symbolises blood, the Sun and life itself. Twisted together, the string assumes the power of the ultimate union between male and female with life-giving potency. This probably is the reason why Martisors have become part of a tradition rather like the Valentine, given by men to the women who are dear to them. Now, however, Martisors can be given to members of either gender and can be a symbol of friendship or of family ties as well as romance

I made a video for Martisor last year. Here is my video:




I thought I would share some one else's video about Martisor as well:

Martisor 2009

In past years, I wrote both a rather academic article about Martisor and rewrote an old folktale. I thought I should try something different this year. I therefore made a little video about the Martisor Festival. It is not brilliant by any means but perhaps it captures a little of the tradition and symbolism involved.

I am not from Eastern Europe where this Festival is celebrated enthusiastically by most of the population and I therefore never could claim to be an expert in Martisor traditions, but it is a Festival that won my own heart and therefore has become a tradition for me. I hope this little video may inspire some one else to adopt the Martisor as an annual tradition.

A Legend of Martisor

Here on the 1st of March, the snow that had fallen a few days previously had turned to ice. It was two or three inches deep in the garden, a shroud covering the poor plants that had been tricked by untimely warmth in January to bring forth leaves prematurely. Two of the clumps of snowdrops that usually appeared in March had bloomed in January. Despite that, a small group of snowdrops nestled beneath our ash tree had appeared for Martisor, half-concealed by the hardened snow, but valiant in their flowering.

In honour of those tiny blossoms, here is an old legend of the Martisor. It contains many of the classical elements of darkness and light found in old folktales throughout the world. The Dragon in this tale is the enemy of the Sun rather than being another fire element.

The Legend of the Martisor

In ancient times, the Sun took the form of a young man in order to be able to walk among the people and share in their celebrations. Lonely in his chariot in the sky, he would see the bonfires of the festivals and would long for the company of others. Taking human form, he learned to dance and to leap over the village fires, those small brave flames lit in homage to his great power of light in heaven.

Although his very being was light and flame, he was drawn to the warmth of human hearts and he rejoiced when he could join the people in their celebrations. He learned to laugh and sing and dance, and when he returned to his chariot in the sky, he would watch the earth below each day thereafter for the sign of another bonfire. For him, that was a message that the people were celebrating another festival.

In the far North, there was a powerful Dragon who lived in a great castle made of ice. His realm was darkness, and he hated the Sun and its power to melt the snow. When he discovered that the Sun was walking among the people in human form, he realised that he had a chance to best his enemy.

Coming down from the North, he waylaid the Sun as he traveled and took him prisoner, locking him in a dungeon far beneath the Earth.

Without the bright warmth and light of the Sun, the Earth languished. No bird sang, and no flower blossomed. The people looked in vain for the Chariot of fire in the heavens, and their hearts grieved for the one who had danced at their festivals but who came no more to their fires.

News came from the North of the victory of the Dragon over the power of Light, and the people shivered beneath a dark sky and lamented. Terrified of the Dragon, no one knew what to do, but as the Earth continued to wither under the cold hand of eternal Night, a young man realised that some one had to save the Sun or every one on Earth would die.

He stood before the people and declared his intention to find the castle of the Dragon and liberate the Sun from captivity. The people cheered, and hope was kindled in their hearts. They sang heroic songs for the brave young man and some even accompanied him on the journey north.

It was in Summer when the brave young hero began his journey north, but it was a cold Summer devoid of light. Summer passed into Autumn and yet nothing changed. The darkness remained constant, and the ground was cold and lifeless beneath his feet and those of his companions.

Throughout Winter, he continued his journey north, through snow and ice and bitter winds. Finally, the castle loomed before him, conceived in shadow and created of ice. The sight of that impregnable fortress was enough to cast the bravest heart into despair, but the young hero thought of the soft light of dawn, of the warm breezes of summer caressing fields of golden grain, and his heart was strengthened by the memories.

'It is for this that I have come,' he thought. 'It is to save the earth from darkness and despair, and if I cannot do it, then never shall the Earth see Light again.'

The Dragon roared his defiance, spitting ice shards and black soot. The ice of his breath was black, and froze all it touched. He leapt forth from the Castle gates to defeat the young hero.

The hero thought of the light and met his foe without faltering. For three days and nights they fought under the dark sky. At last, the hero had used all his strength and could not stand longer. He fell to one knee and the Dragon, seeing his chance, leapt for the kill.

The handsome young hero with his very last energy grasped his blade with both hands and thrust upwards. The dragon fell upon him, but lay still, its heartsblood forming a dark lake on the ice.

The companions of the young hero struggled to shift the weight of the dead beast from the fallen warrior. When finally they achieved their goal, they were delighted to see that he lived, although bleeding from many wounds.

He refused to allow them to tend to him, however, declaring that the Sun had to be rescued first. He drew his sword from the fatal wound in the dragon's chest and cut the chain that held the castle gates fast.
Deep into the castle he went, leaving a trail of blood behind him. Finally, he reached the deepest dungeon and found the Sun there.

The Sun's light had been dimmed through the long months of captivity. He could not transform himself back into his shining heavenly form but had to lean on his rescuer as they struggled to return through the corridors of the castle.

When at last the Sun reached the fresh air, his energy slowly grew, until with a great burst of light, he was reborn in splendour and rose upwards into the heavens to regain his golden chariot. His rescuer, meanwhile, his task accomplished, collapsed on the ice. His blood glistened red against the white snow, bringing forth snowdrops, the first flowers of Spring. The young hero turned his face once towards the warmth of the light of the reborn Sun and died, his heart at peace, knowing that the Earth had been saved from eternal night.

His companions returned to their homeland, bringing with them the memory of the young man's courage and determination. Each year thereafter, when the first snowdrops bloom, red and white tassels are braided, symbolising the purity and bravery of the young hero who saved the Sun from the Dragon. Red as the colour of life and blood, the colour of the hero's sacrifice; white as the colour of snow and of the snowdrop, the flower that braves the cold of winter's to appear each year as the herald of Spring.

Martisor Amulets

This Martisor greeting card displays snowdrops, traditional heralds of Spring known as 'ghiocei', with a Martisor amulet. I particularly like this one, as the Martisor talisman is created in the form of an ancient fertility symbol, displaying male and female united as one. One poppet is red, symbolising power, strength, and the power of the sun, while the other is white, symbolising purity and the power of the full moon but each is bound with threads of the opposite colour. Both sun and moon are fertility symbols, united in this Martisor. Incidentally, the little threads bound at the chests create an ancient rune of fertility, the Dagaz rune that symbolises the transformation moment between night and day.

Happy Martisor!

Although the Dragon of Winter has not been vanquished, by the beginning of March he is loosening his icy grip upon the land. Although this is the season of Lent, there are a few old Northern European cultures that celebrate the herald of Spring in the last days of Winter.

In Eastern Europe, the very ancient festival of Martisor is a joyous celebration of the first signs of rebirth. Martisor can be celebrated throughout the month of March, but usually is perceived as beginning on one of two different days. It either occurs on the 1st day of March or at the full Moon of March, at the last full moon before the Vernal Equinox. This year, the Full Moon falls upon 3 March, and the Martisor Festival will be celebrated in many places on 4 March. In other parts of Eastern Europe, the festival will begin today on the 1st of March.

Martisor primarily is a celebration of life and of the first signs of Spring. It does not take the place of the Vernal Equinox or Easter celebrations when Spring actually has emerged victorious and Winter sleeps once more. The festival of Martisor is known in Romania as 'Martie' which is a diminuative of the name of the month and means 'Little March' or 'Dear little March'.

The most popular symbol of Martisor is a charm or amulet that consists primarily of red and white string intertwined. Originally, a gold or silver coin was tied to the string, but it became customary to substitute any silver-coloured coin or charm. Often other symbols of good luck, such as clover, horseshoes or tiny dolls now are attached to the Martisor necklace. These are given by men and women alike, not only as romantic tokens but as tokens of friendship. Either given on 1 March or on the day of the Full Moon, they then are worn for twelve days or a fortnight for good fortune and fertility for the entire year.

In an old Moldavian tradition, once the Martisor necklace was removed at the end of twelve days, it would be tied into the hair until the first birds of Spring were seen. It then would be placed on the first tree that flowered.

The festival of Martisor is Romanian, although similar festivals are celebrated in other Eastern European countries. Romania, as its name suggests was colonised by the ancient Romans, and the very name of the festival of Martisor is derived from the old Roman god Mars. Mars was the god of war as the son of Jupiter and Juno in later Roman religion, but originally, he was one of the three great gods, and was God of Earth and Spring. He primarily therefore was a chthonic god of Nature.

Reputedly the father of Romulus and Remus, founders of Rome, he was the reason all Romans referred to themselves as the 'sons of Mars'. The 'Feriae Marti', a festival devoted to Mars, was held in Rome on 1 March.

1 March was the New Year for the ancient Romans, whose calendar ran from March to March. In the old calendar, the days of the week and numerical dates would correspond precisely month after month, unlike our current calendar, where dates and days of the week change with each month.

The 1st of March was the day of the festival of Matronalia, the Roman equivalent of Mother's Day. This day was sacred to Juno in her capacity as guardian of mothers and particularly of childbirth: 'Juno who brings children into the light' . Her symbol was the peacock. On 1 March, women would participate in rituals at her temple on Esquiline Hill. This was the only day of the year when woman actually were required to wear their hair loose (unbound) and were not allowed to wear belts or use any knots in their clothing. This form of sympathetic magic is universal and it was believed that thus water would flow freely and childbirth would be easy as well.

This was a festival wherein mothers received gifts from their daughters and husbands would offer special prayers for their wives and present them with gifts.

Women were required on this day to prepare a special banquet for their slaves. (There was a similar requirement for men to prepare meals for the household slaves during Saturnalia.)

Romans brought their beliefs and customs to Eastern Europe when they colonised it but some of the customs of Martisor are even older than ancient Rome. Archaeologists have discovered necklaces over 8,000 years old consisting of pebbles painted red and white alternating on a string. White is the colour of purity, ice and clouds, a symbol therefore of Winter. Red is the colour of fertility, of blood and life, and therefore would represent Spring.

The Dacians worshipped a god named Marsyas Silen, who invented the flute known as the 'shepherd's whistle'. He was an ancient god of vegetation. The old red and white amulet was considered to be a protective symbol for children and livestock, but later became a general talisman given to every one.

Romanian folk traditions for Martisor include the snowdrop, the first herald of Spring in the midst of winter snows. A bouquet of snowdrops given with a Martisor amulet on a Spring postcard is one of the most popular and charming Martisor traditions.

Another interesting amulet of good fortune that is included in Martisors is a black chimney-sweep. This is a very ancient symbol actually. Throughout Europe, the chimney sweep was considered to be especially lucky and touching a chimney sweep on New Year's Day was considered to bring good fortune for the entire year. This old belief still is known in England.

Ashes always have been potent in magic. Sweeping dust from the house as well as ashes from the chimney was a traditional act at year's end. This is the origin of the expression known as 'spring cleaning'. The chimney sweep would be 'black' with the ashes of the old year and thus would be invested with the power of the old year. Ashes always featured in ancient New Year festivals and obviously touching the chimney sweep after he emerged from the chimney was simply a vestige of older rituals considered inappropriate in Christianity.

Throughout Eastern Europe, Martisor amulets are given to every one. Family members exchange them, friends give them as tokens of their friendship and lovers exchange them as 'Valentiines'. Even in the workplace, Martisor charms are given.

There are other old folk traditions of Martisor. It was believed, for example, that a girl should wash her face in the snow on 1 March if she wished to have a perfect complexion for the entire year.

Intertwined red and white wool yarn or string was tied to any flowering tree or bush but in particular, the hawthorn or rose or any fruit tree in an act of sympathetic magic as well as a 'wish' that the earth be fruitful. In placing the string on a rose bush, girls would wish for soft skin and cheeks like red roses. The old fairytale of Snow White and Rose Red is an example of these ancient correspondences.

There is another Martisor custom relating to cheese. In the days when a real silver or gold coin was attached to the Martisor threads, after wearing it for 12 days, an individual would use the coin to purchase sweet white cheese. White cheese symbolised purity and beauty. In fact, this correspondence exists throughout the world. Even in Palestine, a woman who desired a daughter would pray for one with a face as 'round and white as a cheese'. That would be considered the ultimate form of beauty and the name 'Jbene' or 'Cheese' is found as a girl's name in a number of old folktales.

Like most festivals, Martisor has become very commercial in Eastern Europe, but there still are people who make their own Martisor charms to exchange with loved ones. When I first read about the festival, I was enchanted with it, and decided to make a Martisor charm. I twisted red and white yarn together and attached an old silver coin to it. After 12 days, I placed it on our Goddess Tree. I have celebrated the Festival each Spring and it has become a tradition in this house.

Happy Martisor!