1st March

On the first of March in Bulgaria we have a national custom, called Grandma March. In that day we give each others something called 'martenichka'(the picture on top). It is red and white threads entrapped together. We give them for health, and take them off,  when we see stork or when is the first day of the spring and put them on blossomed tree. These things are symbol of the ending of the winter and the beginning of the spring. I  and my  family does that custom every year since I was kid. This year because I am here I could not put 'martenichka' on my arm because simply they do not have here, so my mother send me a package from Bulgaria, but she sent it a little late so it was not here on the first of March, but the important thing is that I received it. The reason why I am writing all that explanation is because that custom is important to me and that is the first year that I am so away from home and can not celebrate it and it remind me of home. So I waited with impatience for that package to come and it did it was jouful for me to unpack everything and to find some suprises that I did not expect. The second picture is of all the 'martenicki' that I received. I am really happy that even away from home I can 'celebrate' it and to give 'martenicki' to the others here, too.