The traditions and customs related to martsishors changed in time, but the essence was kept. Ethnologists say the red and white colors of the martsishors symbolize cleanness and purity of the soul, while the tradition of wearing a martsishors at chest to celebrate the coming of spring is spread in the Balkan area, IPN reports.
The tradition of giving martsishors as a gift to each other on March 1 is typical of Romanians everywhere and of Bulgarians, Macedonians, Greeks and a part of Croatians and Hungarians. The old martsishor was formed by interweaving two woolen threads – a red thread and a white one. In the past, the martsishor was worn at the neck, leg or hand as a talisman that protected the people from evil. At the end of March, when the first trees started to blossom, the people took the martsishors out and tied them to tree branches.
Nowadays, the people offer martsishors as a present to parents and friends in sign of admiration, to teachers and colleagues in respect and special esteem or to the partners as a symbol of love. The giving of a martsishor is accompanied by wishes of health and love. The martsishor is worn until the end of March and on April 1 is tied to a tree branch. They say the martsishors tied to a tree will bring welfare to people. If a wish is made, this will definitely come true.
The UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage on December 6, 2017 voted to include the multinational file “Cultural practices associated to the 1st of March” – a common file of Moldova, Romania, Bulgaria and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia - in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
