Martaki: What does the bracelet we wear in March symbolize?

On the archetypal time of March, we often marque and deterioration the well-known “Martis” oregon “Martaki”. This is simply a precise aged custom, with a wide signifier successful the Balkans.

This customized has its roots successful Ancient Greece and specifically successful the Eleusinian Mysteries. The initiates of the Eleusinian Mysteries tied a thread, the Kroke, connected their close manus and near foot.

Today, for the full month, children and adults deterioration a tiny bracelet made of twisted achromatic and reddish thread connected their wrist. As the saying goes, March protects the faces of children from the archetypal prima of outpouring truthful that they don’t get burned. They marque it connected the past time of February and deterioration it connected the archetypal time of March, earlier going retired of the house.

Moreover, erstwhile the period ends, they region this bracelet and permission it connected the roseate bushes erstwhile they spot the archetypal swallow, truthful that the birds tin instrumentality it and physique their nest.

It chiefly concerns young children.
It is simply a customized according to which those who deterioration the Martis, particularly young children, are protected either from diseases successful wide oregon “so that the prima doesn’t pain them” oregon “so that the prima doesn’t darken them”.

Symbolically, the achromatic and reddish colors are often encountered successful superstition erstwhile we request to avert immoderate evil. This is besides mentioned by past Greek writers.

Artemidorus successful the “Oneirocritica” associates the assorted wreaths of witches, Virgil successful the “Bucolics” mentions multicolored threads tied 3 times successful the representation of a person to seduce him. Petronius mentions akin spells, wherever we necktie a multicolored warp astir the neck. Byzantines notation to the usage of dyed thread against the evil eye. In the Eleusinian Mysteries successful antiquity, the young initiates wore saffrons connected their close manus and foot. This is, therefore, an past custom, oregon akin to past customs.

This distinctive achromatic and reddish bracelet, erstwhile March was over, successful cardinal Greece astatine least, they would instrumentality it disconnected and bent it connected the highest subdivision of the trees adjacent the houses with swallow nests, due to the fact that March is the period of the outpouring migration of birds from the African continent to Greece and the Balkans.

These birds often transportation diseases from the warmer climates that hatch with the accrued humidity of spring.

What is mentioned successful folklore
Folklore mentions that children should respect, emotion and not disturb the swallows, due to the fact that they functioned arsenic “domestic” birds that built their nests connected the walls of the houses, with the thought that they were utile since they exterminated insects, chiefly mosquitoes, which were harmful to humans and which the swallows themselves carried successful their plumage from their travel from Africa. One crushed was partially this, the 2nd crushed was that the elders knew astir these diseases and did not privation their children to declaration them.

Along with steadfast swallows and different migratory birds, sick ones besides migrate. Especially the sick swallow, if it sees a reddish color, avoids it and does not approach, connected the contrary, the steadfast swallow collects the achromatic and reddish thread that it finds connected the precocious subdivision of the histrion and carries it to its nest to forestall its usage by the sick invader and to hatch its steadfast eggs. For this crushed of health, the elders had devised the usefulness of the swallows, mainly, and discouraged children from playing with them and approaching the swallow nests.

A customized not lone successful our country
However, it is not lone our state that has this custom. They besides deterioration Martis successful Bulgaria, Romania, a tiny pin they telephone Martisor, successful North Macedonia, Albania and Moldova.

The customized of Martis is celebrated successful the aforesaid and unchanged mode successful North Macedonia with the sanction Martinki and successful Albania arsenic Verore. The inhabitants of our 2 neighboring countries deterioration bracelets of reddish and achromatic thread truthful that the prima does not “catch” them, which they besides instrumentality disconnected astatine the extremity of the period oregon erstwhile they spot the archetypal swallow.

Others, connected the different hand, necktie the Martis to a fruit-bearing tree, truthful that it whitethorn springiness it blossoms, portion immoderate spot it nether a chromatic and if they find a worm adjacent to it the adjacent day, it means that the remainder of the twelvemonth volition beryllium precise good.