Happy
Martisor !
This has been sent by Cati to all the women and girls, big and small in the family!
The Romanian writing on the card says: "First Day of Spring" - which March First was according to some Roman calendar. (I am minutes from March 1st)
For those with slight Romanian roots, here is the story:
the essential prt of the Martisor is the little thread in the lower right corner of the picture. It's made of red and white silk, twisted together. It was the custom with the Romans to make this gift representing passion and purity to the women in their lives. The custom survived EXCLUSIVELY in Romania.
There is another tradition connected to this: save your Martisor thread until you see the first tree in blossom. Tie it around that branch and make a whish (Maya and I did it for a couple of years)