The Good Luck March Charm has its roots in an ancient Bulgarian tradition related to March 1 and the welcoming of the ensuing spring.

March Charm, Martenitsa or Martenitza (/?mar.t?.ni.?a/, plural martenitsi) is a Bulgarian tradition related to March 1 and the welcoming of the ensuing spring. Mart is the Bulgarian word for the month of March.

The month of March, according to Bulgarian folklore, marks the beginning of springtime. Therefore, the first day of March is a traditional holiday associated with sending off the winter and welcoming the spring.

Tradition

On the first of March and the first few days after, Bulgarians give to one another white and red tassels or small wool dolls called "Pizho and Penda", or "Martenitsi". Additionally, in Bulgarian folklore the name Mart is related to a grumpy old lady whose mood shifts very rapidly. Her name is Grandma Marta, in Bulgarian — Baba Marta.

This pagan tradition has remained almost the same today as it was when it began. Today Bulgarians give one another the red and white colours to please Baba Marta so that she will not make winter last. In doing so, they hope the spring will come as soon as possible. Many people wear more than one martenitsa, which they have received as presents from relatives, close friends and colleagues. Martenitsa is usually worn on the clothes pinned near to the collar or on the hand tied around the wrist. The tradition calls for wearing the martenitsa until the person spots a

stork for the first time in the season. This bird is considered a harbinger of spring and is evidence that Baba Marta has been pleased and is about to retire.

The ritual of finally taking off the martenitsa may be different in the different parts of Bulgaria. Some people would tie their martenitsa on a branch of a fruit tree, thus giving this tree the health and luck, which the person wearing the martenitsa has enjoyed while having it. Others would put the martenitsa under a stone with the idea that the kind of the creature (usually an insect) closest to the token the next day will determine the person's health for the rest of the year. If the creature is a

larva or a

worm, the coming year will be healthy, and full of success. The same luck is associated with an

ant; the difference being that the person will have to work hard to reach success. If the creature near the token is a

spider, then the person is in trouble and might lack enough luck, health, or personal success.

The martenitsa is also a stylized symbol of Mother Nature. At that early-spring/late-winter time of the year, Nature seems full of hopes and expectations. The white symbolizes the purity of the melting white snow and the red symbolizes the setting of the sun which becomes more and more intense as spring progresses. These two natural resources are prerequisites for life. They are also associated with the male and female beginnings.

Decorating oneself with one or more martenitsi is a very typical and extremely popular Bulgarian tradition. The martenitsa symbolises new life, conception, fertility, and spring. The time when it is worn is meant to be a joyful holiday commemorating health and long life. The colours of the martenitsa are interpreted as symbols of purity and life, as well as the need for harmony in Nature and in people's lives.

A martenitsa tied to a blossoming tree, a symbol of approaching spring