Spring is here! There is a smell of freshness, or warmth and of lightness in the air. Breathe in. Breathe out. And breathe up. My lungs are being filled with life as my soul is breathing in joy. Oh, Spring! What a gift you are! After months of short days and long nights, of cold weather and frozen hands, of bare trees and barren fields, a new chapter unfolds. We will not remain in darkness, we will soon enjoy fruit, we will be embraced by the sunset warmth. Spring is coming! The Resurrection season is coming!
The first of March is a special day here in Romania. This day is called Mărțișor. Mărțișor (mərt͡siˈʃor) is a celebration at the beginning of spring, on March the 1st in Romania and Moldova. The word Mărțișor is the diminutive of Marț, the old folk name for March (martie, in Romanian), which literally means “little March”.
On the first day of March, Romanians celebrate the coming of spring in their own unique way – through the symbolic martisor (or trinket, in an approximate English translation). Men offer martisoare to women between March 1 and 8 as gifts, and most Romanian women expect to receive something – either a trinket or a flower, during this period from the most important men in their lives, as well as from colleagues and business partners. Initially made just from two twisted threads of wool, one colored red and one white, the trinket has evolved, incorporating a small piece of jewelry or something hand crafted attached to the red-white lace. The red is said to represent the summer, and the heat, while the white represents the winter, and the cold. Some people say that the two colors represent love and honesty.
Have a beautiful spring! And know that Spring comes to the soul only when the soul has the Son, not just the sun. Because the sun makes everything beautiful, but the Son makes everything new.
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