Another delightful ancient Romanian custom is giving a 1st of March symbol to all women and girls. It is like a small trinket with a braided cord attached to it, in two colours: white and red.

Braided red around white can symbolize the spring’s warmth melting the snow, and Good defeating Evil. It celebrates the joy of nature’s rebirth, and as each joy should be shared, we give this symbol to those capable of giving life, to wear it close to the heart.

I showed the children some interesting facts in a .ppt presentation: the heavy and snowy winters in Romania, the first flowers – snowdrops, the “lambs’ snow” – the last late snow of spring, and various examples of “Maartjes”.

After creating their own red-and-white braided cords, they were inspired to create different small trinkets using various natural and synthetic materials: feathers, seeds, beads, pasta, fleece, wood and wire.

Therefore, we had: some snowdrops, angels, cars, along with a lamb, a rabbit, a chimney sweeper and a winged dog. Children never cease to amaze me with their creations.
See some of them below:

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