‘Baba Marta’ means ‘Grandma March’ and is an affectionate name given by Bulgarians to the month of March. Baba Marta is a willful old lady whose moods change quickly from sunshine to blizzards and whose arrival marks the beginning of spring.
On 1st Mar people of Bulgaria give each other Martenitsi (singular – Martenitsa, plural – Martenitsi) with wishes of health and good luck. Martenitsi are made from red and white yarn and can be as simple as an intertwined thread or as intricate as the maker’s imagination and skills permit. They are then worn tied around the wrist or pinned to the clothes near the heart until the wearer sees the first stork or a blossoming tree.
Martenitsi can look like the ones we made today at home:
…. or like these, which you can buy from the shops in Bulgaria:
Some of you may remember that I am organising a Bulgarian themed session at my local playgroup. We will be making Martenitsi and this is where I would love your input.
How can I make this craft more suitable for children under 5?
Hi, I'm Tat. I believe that through motherhood we're given another chance to find ourselves, grow and shine. I have three beautiful children and I learn a lot from them every day. This year I'm searching for ease in everything I do.
Oh, they’re so cute! Love the little boy & girl!
Are they difficult to make?
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Martenitsi are not hard to make, but it involves mainly cutting and manipulating threads, which requires manual dexterity that most under 5s do not have. And there will be some 2-year-olds doing the activity.
They are very cute…the kids do not have to do the whole activity by themselves…but if you perhaps cut the threads and tie the 2 colours on something then show them how to twist one over the other and then perhaps you do the knots…kids still learn even by watching ..you can also make it a colour activity like learning different colours….they might not be able to do it now …but they will remember in the future….xxx
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You could put little Pom Poms on the end? Which is just 2 pieces of cardboard with a hole in the middle and the thread wound round and round. You’d need a pretty good attention span to do it though – I remember being very distracted making pom poms in year one.
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I’m not sure how to make it suitable for kids under five, I wish I were a little more crafty in that area. But awesome that you are teaching kids a cultural thing like this. This is the first time I’ve heard of Martenitsi.
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Heather From and Mommy Only Has Two Hands! and Lynhea Designs
Very Interesting!
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Thanks for sharing some of your Bulgarian culture with us.
There’s a few Baba Martas in real life too!!
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xx jazzy
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These are so pretty. You could use them for all sorts of lovely things, I am sure children will love them.
CJ xx
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I wish I had some miracle answer as to how to make it age appropriate for 5 year olds, but I don’t
Good luck, I hope someone can help you out.
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