Granny March is a mythical figure in Bulgarian folklore who marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring. On March 1st, Bulgarians celebrate Granny March's day by exchanging martenitsas, which are red and white bracelets. The white color symbolizes light and purity while red symbolizes health, conception, and birth. According to legend, the first martenitsa was created by Achinora, the wife of Khan Asparuh in the 7th century, when she tied a message of health and love to a bird but its legs bled onto the white thread, turning it red.

1. Granny March
Made by Borislav, Bulgarian team

2. Who is Granny March?
 Granny March(Bulgarian: Баба Марта) is the name of
a mythical figure who brings with her the end of the
cold winter and the beginning of the spring. Her
holiday of the same name is celebrated in Bulgaria on
March 1 with the exchange and wearing of red and
white colored martenitsas .

3. Granny March’s day.
 Bulgarians celebrate on
March 1 a centuries-old
tradition and exchange
maretnitsas on what is
called the day of Granny
March. The tradition of
giving friends red-and-
white interwoven strings
brings health and
happiness during the year
and is a reminder that
spring is near.

4. What symbolizes the colores in the
bracelets?
 The white color first symbolized man, the power
light solar zone. Later, under the influence of
Christian mythology it began to indicate integrity
and virginity – white is the color of Christ. Red
represents the woman and health: it is a sign of
blood, conception and birth. In ancient times
women’s wedding dresses were red. The
bracelets comes in all shapes and sizes - from
building packages to strings on a newborn's arm.
Children usually compete who will get the most.

6. The legend of the Granny March
 According to legend, the first “martenitsa” was
made by Achinora, the wife of Khan Asparuh, in
the second half of the 7th century, when Asparuh
crossed the river “Dunav” and discovered the
lands around the Balkans for the Bulgarians.
Achinora waited for her lover for a long time and
finally tied a white thread on the bird's foot and
released the bird to convey her message of health
and love. The bird traveled for a long time, and
the thread hurt its legs and dyed its blood, this
turning its red color. The bird landed on his
shoulder exactly on March 1st.

7. Thanks for listening!