Welcome Spring

Martisor (pronounced mar-tee-shore) is March first.  It's a holiday to welcome in spring, and the two big colors are red and white.  The holiday is celebrated in Moldova, Romania, and Bulgaria.  Little red and white decorations are given to your loved ones, who wear them all month.  Once the month is over, you hang the decorations on budding tree branches.  These two ornamens were made for us by my language teacher and her son, who had to make some for school.  Andreas refused to even think of wearing one.  It didn't help that the guys in his office were not in the spirit of it, either.

Like most spring festivals, Martisor also celebrates love, and it is customary to do a special dinner.  The poor men of Moldova have three holidays in the span of one month - Valentine's Day, Martisor, and International Women's Day - where they are pressured to do something for their sweethearts.