"Martisorul" is a symbol of the spring.
Legend has it that one day, the sun came down on earth in the guise of a boy but he has been kidnapped and imprisoned in a dungeon by a dragon.
Hearing this, a brave young man decided to go save him. Its way to the castle of the dragon lasted three seasons: Summer, Autumn and Winter. At the end of the trip, the young man defeated the dragon and with his last strength released the sun and then he died. His blood was spilled onto the snow, and there where the drops were falling, lilies were blooming out and they announced the spring.
Since then, at the beginning of spring, young men intertwine two threads, one white and one red, and give them to the girls they love. Red is the symbol of love and remembers the blood of the young man and the white symbolizes purity and recalls the snow and the winter.
Currently the "Martisor" is worn throughout the month of March and at the end of the month it is tied into a fruit tree.
Editor: Gabriela Mihai, ArtTour Romania