Our friend Eli came up with the idea of this little lamb martenitsa. It was made from acorns, toothpicks – and some yarn.

Glue on ears to an acorn to make the head. For the eyes, make two little circles in white acrylic paint, then add a dot in permanent marker when the paint is dry.

The body is a crumpled piece of paper wrapped in yarn.

The legs were made of toothpicks and wooden beads.

What is ‘martenitsa’?

In Bulgarian folklore the month of March is often portrayed as a plump, cheerful old lady, “baba Marta”. The 1st day of her reign is celebrated with red and white ornaments in various designs – as bracelets, brooches, pom-poms… 
The origins of this ritual are lost in time, but the meaning is clear – they are luck charms you give away to wish good health (and good looks, too!) Friends, family, even pets and domestic animals get one.They are also a countdown to spring – you wear them every day until you see the first stork, or swallow, or blossoming tree. Then you take themartenitsa off and tie it to a branch.