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Baba Marta DECORATIONS

Baba Marta DECORATIONS

Pom-pom flowers – we used yarn and some irregular-shaped branches (the only kind we get in our garden)… but they turned out pretty realistic.
Baba Marta DECORATIONS

Baba Marta DECORATIONS

Baba Marta DECORATIONS

Blossoming tree – we found this branch outside and took it home 🙂 As we are in the middle of terrible renovations at home, it was not hard to steal some wall paint and a brush from the workers. It would be faster and prettier with acrylics, though.

martenitsa

We covered the bottle with PVA glue then wrapped it with yarn.

martenitsa how to make a tassel

The tassels we used to decorate the tree are ready in minutes – you need nothing more than some yarn and a pair of scissors.
Baba Marta DECORATIONS

Yarn-wrapped containers(boxes, bottles and jars).

Cover the containers with glue before wrapping them with yarn.

Baba Marta DECORATIONS

A wonderful acticity for a kid who’s sick and has to stay at home 🙁

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.

bulgarian-martenitsa