Happy Marțișor!

Long, long ago, the sun would descend into villages as a brave young man so he could dance at weddings and holidays. But one day, an evil dragon ambushed and capured him. The whole world grieved: birds forgot their songs and the laughter of children turned into deep sorrow. No one dared fight the terrible dragon.

One day, a brave man stepped forward to set the sun free from the dragon’s prison. Everyone gave him their strength to help with his difficult task. He walked through summer, then through autumn, then through the frosty winter until he found the castle of the terrible dragon. A dreadful fight for his life began. The man and the dragon fought mercilessly, shedding blood in the crystal snow.

Both the dragon and the man were very strong. At last, the brave man killed the dragon and broke the walls of the prison, setting the sun free. As the sun sprang into the sky, nature began to revive. Flowers bloomed, birds sang — but the brave man did not live to see the sring. His warm blood dropped on the thawing snow and growing flowers. The last drop of blood fell from the young man’s arm on the first of March.

Since then, in his memory, girls knit two tassels – one red and one white – as a sign that spring is beginning and give them to the boys they like. The tassles are called Marțișor (MAR-tsee-shor), which is the diminutive form of Martie, the first month of spring. Red stands for love of everything that is beautiful and for the brave man’s blood. The white symbolizes happiness, health and purity, like the fagile snowdrop on the first flower of spring.

On March 1, Moldovans give each other Marțișor, and we will wear them for the rest of the week. At the end of March, we put them on a tree, bringing a good year and bountiful crops.

I found three beautiful Marțișor on the main street of Chișinău, Moldova’s capital city, and bought them for me, my father (whom I will meet in Istanbul this week for spring break) and my mother.