Martisor

Traditions are important in determining who we are and where we came from. I have always been fascinated by other cultures’ traditions and would also like others to understand the traditions of my home country.

This piece of work is about a Romanian tradition called ‘’Martisor’’ that represents the conflict between the ebbing season of winter and the emergence and rebirth of spring and which involves a number of different legends.
Inherent within one of these legends is the story of the releasing of the sun by a brave young man, who’s red blood was spilt upon the white snow of winter during the battle.
I have re-interpreted this tale, borrowing from the meanings and motifs that this tradition embodies in Romanian culture.


“It is once said that the Sun descended on Earth, in a village, bursting into the dance of unity, taking the form of a human being. A dragon chased and kidnapped the Sun, therefore the entire village fall into a terrible and endurable misery. No one had the courage to fight the dragon. One day, a brave young man decided to save the Sun. Hearing this the villagers agreed to pass among all their powers in order to bring back the peace and joy for the entire village.

The young man’s journey to find the mean dragon lasted during the summer, autumn and winter.

For days and nights the brave young man fought the dragon, till he succeeded in defeating the cruel beast. Weak and hurt, the young man released the Sun, therefore the nature revived, the people where bursting into joy, the entire village was brought back to life. Unfortunately, the hero never got the chance to see the spring again. The blood from his wounds leaked on the white snow, helping the snowdrops and the heralds of spring to bloom.
Since then young people braid two pieces of string : one red and one white. The string is usually offered to girls or to people we care about.
Red signifies the love for everything that represents beauty, reflecting the color of the hero’s blood.
White symbolize the health and the purity of the snowdrop, which is considered to be the first flower that comes to life when spring appears.”


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