Children, parents, teachers from the Bulgarian schools around the world went to work at the martenitsa workshops wherever they may live to twist red and white thread together and make a martenitsa, the token of health, luck and… the coming spring. Every year, on 1 March, Bulgarians, wherever they may be, observe an old tradition – they tie a red-and-white thread to the wrist, or attach a more elaborate red-and-white symbol to the lapel of near and dear ones, as a symbol of a new beginning.
In high spirits, and with lots of imagination, the children from the Bulgarian school in Milan, Italy recreated the traditional March characters Pizho and Penda and lots of other amulets for health. Once again we twisted red and white threads into one – the thread of love. Once again we put on martenitsas for health and for luck, Gergana Hristova who established the first Bulgarian school in Milan wrote on Facebook.
On 26 February a martenitsa workshop was organized in the Italian city as part of the “Balkan spring in white and red” festival. It has become a tradition for the community of Bulgarians, Romanians and Moldovans in the Italian city to celebrate the coming of spring together on 1 March, and to gift one another martenitsas.
The youngest children from the Bulgarian school Vasil Levski in Las Vegas, the US were also able to make some martenitas, together with their parents.
The Bulgarian children from Madrid recreated Baba (Granny) Marta in red and white. In this endeavor the children from the Bulgarian weekend school Elin Pelin were helped by the students from the Saints Cyril and Methodius University of Veliko Turnovo, future schoolteachers, who had arrived specifically to assist them in the study of the Bulgarian language and history.
For the second year running the children from the Bulgarian school in Krakow, Poland made martenitsas with their own hands. “Our children, but also our future pupils all came, as did a Polish family and we all made martenitsas together. Happy Granny Marta!” the school wrote on Facebook.
Compiled by Elena Karkalanova
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