Customs in Bulgaria in March

1. Customs in March
in Bulgaria

2. The 1st of March
Пижо (Pijo) Пенда (Penda)
Мартеница (Martenitsa)

3. The first of March is the day of Granny Marta (Баба Марта, pronounced as: Baba Marta).
Her name comes from Mart – March in Bulgarian.

4. On that day all people give to each other cotton or woolen bracelets
or necklaces

5. or brooches

6. in red and white or a pair of dolls, called Pijo (the male character) and Penda (the
female one), also known as Martenitsi (from Mart, which means March in Bulgarian)

7. The legend
Long time ago, back in the 7th century the first Bulgarian king Khan Asparuh left his home in the Tibet
Mountains…

8. in search of a fertile land
for his people

9. He passed through many rivers

10. and mountains

11. …until he finally reached the lands of the Slavs,

12. who greeted him and his people as dear guests.

13. But the Khan was sad and homesick and he missed his mother and his sister Kalina.
He sat by a huge river and started crying, and he prayed to gods and the sun for a miracle to happen.
And it did happen!
A swallow came
and the Khan shared all his sorrow.
Then the swallow flew away, back to the Tibet mountains, found Kalina and told her, that her brother found a new
land for his kingdom but he missed her so much...

14. Kalina was so happy to hear that, she decided to send her brother a symbol that she had received the message.
She tied a white woolen thread to the swallow’s leg and sent the swallow to take that message back
to her brother.

15. The swallow flew away and very soon it reached the Khan again.
During the long flight its wing was hurt and some blood drops dyed the white woolen thread. The Khan
understood the message and he was so happy that he pinned the thread on his chest.
That happened on the first of March.

16. The Present
When someone gives you a martenitsa you should wear it either pinned on your clothes, on the
hand tied around the wrist, or around your neck until …

17. …you see a stork
or a fruit tree in blossom
for the first time in spring.

18. After that you have to tie it on the blossoming tree for fertility.
It is believed that the martenitsa brings health and happiness.

19. 3rd of March - National Liberation Day
On the 3rd of March, Bulgaria celebrates its national liberation from almost 500 years of Ottoman rule.

20. 3rd of March - National Liberation Day
On this date in 1878, the Peace Treaty of San Stefano (a small town near Istanbul) was signed.
It put an end to the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878 and acknowledged Bulgaria as a free country.

21. How do we celebrate it?
As part of the tradition, every year ceremonies are held throughout the country, particularly in cities and towns, where
key battles took place. Speeches are held during the holiday, along with public cultural shows and military parades.

22. Wreaths of flowers are laid at public monuments.

23. The 8th of March

24. Women’s Day is celebrated with great enthusiasm in Bulgaria.
Ladies are honoured with greetings, given flowers, possibly small gifts and treated to lunch.
Men bring flowers to their female colleagues, to their wives or girlfriends.

25. In addition in Bulgaria the holiday is celebrated as Mother’s Day.
The kids at school are taught special poems or create cards to give to their mothers.