Yesterday, Google’s logo wore a martenitsa, the traditional Bulgarian symbol of the coming of spring! The martenitsa is an ornament made of intertwined red and white wool, often in the shape of a boy and a girl. It symbolizes the arrival of spring, good health, and fertility.
We start wearing the martenitsa on March 1st, the day of Baba Marta (Grandmother March), and we wear it until we see a budding tree or a stork.
March 1st is also popular in Romania and Moldova under the name Martisor. Google called its file Martisor but it linked to articles about Baba Marta.
I just received some martenitisi from my cousin and my mom. I wonder how my colleagues at my internship will react when I present them one each?
Read my article about hanging martenitsi on trees in Boston.
8 comments
Comments feed for this article
March 3, 2011 at 10:48 am
boriana
I thought that was pretty amazing as well…but when I talked with my mom about it and asked her if she sees it (she lives in Miami) it seems as though it was depending on the location as in the States Google was the same
A bit disappointed…I was really hoping that everyone could see it but it seems it was visible only in BG. Great blog though! I live in Bulgaria as well…moved here 2 years ago after living in the states 20 years and really enjoy your blog…defenately the same views! 
March 3, 2011 at 2:52 pm
zikata
Hi Boriana,
You must be right! In fact I didn’t see it either (I’m currently in London), but I thought I had just missed it. In Bulgaria however, the news was picked up by newspapers and news websites and everyone was pretty happy. Judging by what some bloggers are saying, you could see it from the entire Balkans.
I wonder who inspired Google to do it. I know that there is at least one Bulgarian working there because I read an article about her somewhere.
I would be interested to find out what made you go back to Bulgaria after 20 years in the States?
March 3, 2011 at 7:36 pm
katley
I went to the Google website the morning of March 1st, and was disappointed not to see the Martenitsa there. I found it on the google.bg website (fortunately I knew where to look
Here’s something about martenitsa trees. I love this idea! There’s one in my back yard that I’m decorating and the neighbors probably think I’m crazy
http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=125770
March 3, 2011 at 11:50 pm
zikata
AWWW so beautiful!!!!
Katley, you even read Novinite.com?! You are amazing!
March 4, 2011 at 4:35 am
katley
благодаря
March 5, 2011 at 12:29 am
zikata
Hey Katley,
My family wants to see photos of your martenitsa tree! Write a post about it!
March 5, 2011 at 8:05 pm
katley
I will, later this month,as soon as the snow melts, it’s a small tree, and the snow is knee deep in my yard. It’s hard to get out there to decorate it, although there are a few martenitsi still there from last year.
March 10, 2011 at 6:05 am
Dimitar Naydenov
Unfortunately I didn’t see that. Baba Marta is my favorite holiday – it has persisted throughout the centuries and it is purely ours. I can’t say I am proud of it since I haven’t contributed to its creation but I can say I cherish this old tradition as much as I cherish my family and my country. There is a tree on my school’s campus that still has last year’s martenitzas. This year is no exception. I wear my martenitzas every day, and at the end of March that same tree will likely be redder and whiter than last year.