Romanian Winter Traditions / Traditii Romanesti

During winter solstice, when the sun is weak and frost and dryness take over, Romanian peasants conceived ceremonies to help the Sun and Nature to overcome this "temporary crisis." 

Romania is a country with a long and complicated history. 

It also has a variety of customs, traditions and holidays.
Within South Eastern Europe however, Romania preserved a significant number of traditional customs and celebrations manifest within the strong community of the village.

Peasants possessed a deep knowledge of the way to tend the earth. They had the ability to enjoy life and to dream into the future. They were regular observers of the feasts for the earth, their cattle, the flowers and crops, and the overall beauty of living.
The Romanian customs can be divided into family customs, calendar-based customs and religious customs. They represent a "triptych" marked by the three major life changes: birth, marriage and death.

 December 10, 2011 - Village Museum - Bucharest

Village Museum-Bucharest

Martisor - 1st of March ( Romanian Traditions)

Mărţişor is the traditional celebration of the beginning of the spring , on the 1st of March.

The day's name is the diminutive of March (in Romanian Martie.

Mărţişor is the symbol of spring and also a celebration on the first of March.

Its beginnings are still a mystery, but it is usually said that it originated in ancient Rome, because New Year's Eve was celebrated on the 1st of March (Martius), the month of the war god Mars.

He had a double role: both protector of agriculture and of war, so the celebration signified the rebirth of nature. The duality of symbols is kept in the colours of the Mărţişor: white and red, meaning peace and war (it might also symbolize winter and spring).

Nowadays, men offer women a talisman object also called Mărţişor, consisting of a jewel or a small decoration like a flower, an animal or a heart, tied to a red and white string.

A woman wears it pinned to her blouse on this day and up to two weeks after.

Women also offer it to other women and only occasionally to men.

However, giving a little nickel tied to a red and white string is an old custom and was originally designated for both men and women.

It was believed that the one who wears the red and white string will be powerful and healthy for the year to come. The decoration is a symbol of the coming spring.

source :focusromania

Photo in Village Museum - Bucharest

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