Red white bracelets and spells

Come March, summer is not far away!

“Martakia” is the name of the red and white March ribbons, lucky charms at the beginning of spring, named after the month of March – Martis – Μάρτης.

Of course I wear one too. You never know.

They are twisted from red and white yarn on the first of March, given as gifts and tied around the wrist.

Red like red cheeks for good health and white like snow-white hair for a long life – a long life is supposed to be guaranteed to us in Ikaria because of the Blue Zone in which we live. After all, I didn’t move here for nothing.

The March wristbands are intended to protect children, especially children, from the first sunburn, because the March sun makes you overexcited and you can easily catch a cold or even the first sunburn.

The custom with the red and white March ribbons is known throughout the Balkans and, as I have read, it has survived from the depths of the time of the ancient Greeks, the Eleusinian Mysteries, through Byzantium to the present day. There must be something to it!

Greeks, Bulgarians, Romanians, Macedonians and Albanians all wear the red and white ribbons in March on their wrists, around their fingers, around their big toes or on their collars, as a sign of the beginning of spring, of luck, purity and life energy.

Red stands for life and passion, white symbolizes purity.

The interweaving of the two yarns is the symbolic initiation into the connection of the physical (red) and spiritual world (white) - of life (blood red) and death (white).

The eternal cycle that celebrates the birth of new things and hope with each spring.

Have you seen the wristbands yet?

Someone on the subway, train or on the street? Now you know what it’s all about! They are spring charms!

Einfacher Nähfaden, Garn* oder Wolle* werden zusammengedreht und ums Handgelenk gebunden.

So war es bis jetzt, aber inzwischen sind die Märzbändchen zu einem Mode-Accessoire geworden und es gibt auch very stylische Versionen mit Glasperlen, Verschluss und einem Auge gegen den bösen Blick etc. zu erwerben.