Romanian traditions: today it's Mărţişor, celebrating the beginning of spring
On this day the ladies receive a charm consisting of a jewel or small decoration tied to a delicate red and white wool rope. Snowdrops are also gifted as they are the first flowers to pop up from underneath the snow and announce the new season.
The charm is worn around the wrist or pinned at the chest until the spring truly shows its first signs -- when the cuckoo is first heard singing, the cherry blossoms bloom or the first group of returning storks is seen in the sky. The charm is then hung onto a tree branch to bring luck and success in the upcoming year.The symbolic red and white colors twisted around each
other stand for the contrast between winter and summer, or, in another interpretation red, symbolizing life, fire and the sun is attributed to the female, while white is a symbol of water and the sky andl of masculinity.
...and Wiki.
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