Martenica

I was walking with my family through Marley park in Dublin one day in late March, when I spotted these two little woollen dolls hanging from a branch.

Martenitsa in Dublin. 😊

Martenitsa 🇧🇬 or Martinka 🇲🇰 or Martenica 🇷🇸 or Martis 🇬🇷 or Mărțișor 🇷🇴 or Verore 🇦🇱, a small decoration, made of white and red yarn and usually in the form of a bracelet or a doll...

They are made or bought on Baba Marta (Granny March) Day (1st of March), and traditionally, they are always given as gifts, not made or bought for oneself. They are given to family, friends, and loved ones...

These adornments are then worn as protective talismans until the wearer sees a first stork, first swallow, or first blossoming tree or until the end of March (if Baba Marta is angry and March turns out to be cold and even snowy).

When the Martenitsa is taken off, it is supposed to be tied to a branch of a fruit tree, to protect the tree through the fruiting season...

Interestingly, in Romanian folklore, seasons are attributed symbolic colours: spring is red, summer is green or yellow, autumn is black, and winter is white. This is why Mărțișor (Martenitsa) is made from intertwined white and read thread. It is a symbol of passing, from the cold white winter, to the warm red spring...