Culture

15 June, 2026 / 17:17

/ 01 March, 2021

Martisor - Moldova's tradition old of more than 8,000 years

Agenția Informațională de Stat

Chisinau, 1 March /MOLDPRES/ - The first day of spring, 1 March, when people wear Martisors (1 March trinkets) at the chest, is a tradition old of more than 8,000 years. They say that, starting from this day, the cold and snow start disappearing, everything revives to life and there are everywhere a lot of joyful and coloured Martisors, meant to bring luck.

The origins of the Martisor holiday are not known exactly; yet, the holiday is regarded to have been appeared in the times of the Roman Empire, when the New Year was marked on the first day of spring, in March. This was not only the god of war, but also of the fertility and vegetation. This duality is seen in the Martisor’s colours – white meaning peace and red – war. The New Year was marked on 1 March till the beginning of the 18th century.

On 6 December 2017, the Martisor was included in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of the Humanity of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The project on nomination was launched in March 2014 by Moldova’s Culture Ministry, in partnership with the Culture Ministries from Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia and Macedonia.

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