Spring in Sofia

Spring has finally hit this weekend, perfectly timed for Sarah and Micah's visit. We spent Saturday giving them the downtown tour, and were pleasantly surprised to see grown men playing hopscotch, a group of college students engaged in a lifesize game of Risk with plastic army toys, and of course, the first martenitza hanging from trees.





Martenitza are red and white bracelets that are commonly given on March 1, or "Baba Marta," in Bulgaria. It's a popular holiday that welcomes "Grandmother March" and holds the promise of imminent spring. People wear the bracelets until they either see a stork or the first buds blossoming on a tree. At that point, you can take off the bracelet and tie it to the tree branch.