Do you remember colorful friendship bracelets we wore when we were kids? They were made of colorful string, in variations of styles, colors and complexity. On March 1st, many children in Greece make these exact bracelets from embroidery floss, in order to celebrate the beginning of March. The word martia itself comes from the Greek word for March – Martis, and in different parts of the country, the customs related with this bracelet slightly vary.
The bracelets are always made on March 1st, and the children wear them until Holy Saturday, the day before the Easter. The style of bracelets varies and it is usually quite simple, looking like a braid, while those who have some more skill make more complex bracelets. In some parts of Greece children allowed to use any colors they like for making the bracelets. In some other parts, however, only strings in red and white are used – red represents the blood of Christ, and white represents His Resurrection. These bracelets are usually simpler, consisting of only two interlaced strings.
The bracelets are worn until Holy Saturday, after which they are removed. The customs differ here as well, depending on the part of the country. In some parts, the bracelets are cut off the wrists, tied to the pan in which the food for Easter will be made and they are left to burn. This represents the disappearance of all the sins, because the bracelet “disappears” from the pan due to the fire. In other parts of the country, instead of burning the bracelets, they are removed from the wrists and tied to the trees for the birds to take them.
