The quiz which Radio Bulgaria conducted among our multilingual audience from all over the world showed clearly that our listeners are well acquainted with the spring traditions of the Bulgarians and especially with the image of Baba Marta.
75% of the online users of Radio Bulgaria answered correctly to the question "Who is Baba Marta - a good fairy, a witch, a mythical folklore character, a fortune teller or a fairytale hero". And here is the correct answer:
Baba Marta is a folklore personage associated with the most colorful and popular Bulgarian tradition.
Bulgarians dedicate a range of colorful traditions to Baba Marta on the first day of March, symbolizing the coming spring. We have been telling you about these traditions in our folklore section.
Baba Marta is a symbol of new beginnings and brings wishes for health and fertility. Since time immemorial, Bulgarians have decorated themselves, their children, domestic animals and pets with martenitsa (twisted white and red threads).
In the past, throughout the month of March, the ancestors performed rituals to drive away snakes and lizards, and made divinations according to the behavior of migratory birds.
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The tradition of exchanging martenitsi is still preserved today. It brings joy, faith and hope to both children and adults.
According to traditional belief, Baba Marta is a capricious and capricious old woman. She is the sister of Big and Little Sechko (the months of January and February) and is constantly annoyed with them, mostly because her two brothers have drunk her wine.
Who is Baba Marta? See more in the article Granny Marta and her brothers from the collection of Radio Bulgaria.
To this day, Bulgarians like to say that March is a lady's month because of its capricious and fickle temper. How about you - do you agree with that?
Write to us at radiobulgaria@bnr.bg/or English@bnr.bg and be sure to take our new quiz. The next question will appear soon on the website of Radio Bulgaria.
Compiled by: Veneta Nikolova
Photos: library
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