Martenitsa
The martenitsa is the Bulgarian talisman of March, a twisted length of red and white yarn, often finished with beads or a small tassel, exchanged on 1 March to wish health, strength and good fortune for the new year. The red stands for life and the blood, the white for purity and spring light, and the name honours Baba Marta, the capricious old woman of folk belief whose moods are said to govern the early-spring weather. The martenitsa is worn on the wrist, lapel or neck until the wearer sees a stork, a swallow or the first blossoming tree, then it is tied to a fruit tree so the tree will bear