In Romania we usually associate the 1st of March with the begining of Spring. Even if the weather looks sometimes more like autumn or winter. But, sunny, cold or rainy, on this very day we always celebrate Martisor.

The name Martisor is the diminutive of Martie (the Romanian for March). Its beginnings are not very well known, but they are usually connected with ancient Rome, where New Year’s Eve was celebrated on the 1st of March.

Among the myths about Martisor, there is one I like most:

On the first day of March, beautiful Spring took a walk in the forrest and during her stroll noticed a snowdrop that was trying to emerge from under the snow; she decided to help it by taking away the snow. Seeing this, Winter got mad and called the wind and the frost to destroy the little flower. The snowdrop got frozen immediately. Spring covered it with her own hands trying to warm and protect it, but her hands were injured. A little drop of her blood touched the flower, bringing it to life again. This way Spring defeated Winter and the white colours of the Martisor string symbolize her red blood on the white snow. White is also the symbol of the purity and delicacy of the snowdrop, the first spring flower.

Over time Martisor has changed its shape, aspect and meaning.

Martisor can be a little decorative object (a flower, an animal, etc.) or even a piece of jewelry and it is sometimes accompanied or even replaced by a bouquet of spring flowers. While some of them are real art objects, there are kitsch ones too.

Producing and selling Martisor has become a real business and many little retailers wait for the big Martisor Fair profits.

On the 1st of March, men usually offer Martisor to women (mothers, sisters, lovers, friends, colleagues and so on); buying the most appropriate one for every person on the “list” it is a genuine struggle for them. Most of the women wear nearly every Martisor they are offered pinned to their blouse on this day and up to two weeks. Ocasionally women give Martisor to men too.

Let me offer a virtual Martisor to all PocketCultures readers and wish you a beautiful Spring!

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I am a huge fan of anything retro. I collect film cameras and I wear clothes my grandmother thinks are fashionable.

So I was ultimately crushed when I heard that there will be a Bangsaen Retro Festival this coming weekend (Feb 26-27), the very weekend I am on assignment to the opposite side of the country.

To help me cope, I’d like to share with fellow PocketCulturers about this interesting event, just in case you or someone you know will be in the country/town this weekend.

Bangsaen is a small beach town in the province of Chonburi, in the same province as the infamous Pattaya. Popular more among locals than tourists, Bangsaen is many locals’ first choice of a beach getaway as it is close to Bangkok and it doesn’t carry the same stigma as a scandalous destination as Pattaya.

The festival will take visitors back to Bangsaen’s glory days before the cluttered beaches and rows of concrete hotels. People are encouraged to dress up in 1960s fashion and there will be old school activities such as ballroom dancing by the beach and orchestra concerts, as well as exhibition of art and photographs and antique store booths available.

So if anyone is planning to head to Pattaya this weekend, take a detour to Bangsaen instead for something different and refreshing.

For more information and photos from last year’s event, check out Tourism Authority of Thailand’s website (in Thai) or a writeup by Pattaya Daily News (in English).

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Mooncakes are eaten in China during the Mooncake festival in the Autumn. Thanks to scaredzone for sharing these.

Pocketcultures loves to discover food from around the world. If you have some photos, why not join our Food of the World Flickr group?

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This is a guest post by Kaja Dutka. All photos are also by Kaja.

Two years ago I got an opportunity to study in Indonesia, on the island of Sumatra. Many people associate Indonesia with Bali and Java islands – the most touristic places in Indonesia.

In fact Indonesia has more than 17,000 islands in total. Fewer people get the opportunity to discover the beauty and cultural diversity of Sumatra.

Indonesia’s population is very diverse. One of the main ethnic groups in Sumatra is Minangkabau – the largest matrilineal society in the world, and probably the only one with patriarchal Islam as the central religion.

Khatam Al Qur’an: Koran reading ceremony in West Sumatra

However, in Minangkabau we can still find many traces from local beliefs, and the Baralek Kawin (Wedding Ceremony) is an example of collaboration between Islam and local beliefs. The wedding party is held according to the adat (local tradition), but includes some Islamic rituals.

The party takes place after coming back from the Mosque, where the agreement concerning marriage is concluded between the groom and the father of the bride. However during the wedding party it is the bride and her matrilineal uncle, who are in the centre of the whole ceremony.

Minangkabau wedding

The remains of animism can be found almost in every area of life. It is common for Minangkabau to regularly visit a dukun (shaman). It’s common to see shamans on the streets selling some supernatural medicines or other items.

Roadside shaman

Many cultural and religious ceremonies and events are celebrated here. The most interesting in the Minangkabau calendar are Tabuik - local celebration of the Mourning of Muhharam; Makan Bajamba (Eating Together) – the anniversary of Sawahlunto Town; Khatam Al Qur’an – the ceremony of finishing reading Al Qur’an by teenagers, and already mentioned Baralek Kawin – wedding ceremony.

Celebrating Tabuik

If you visit West Sumatra you will find not only an unusual culture but also spectacular landscapes. The most interesting sites are Singakarak and Maninjau Lakes, the town of Batusangkar and Payakumbuh.

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Now you know some Romanian! Tort de ciocolata is Romanian chocolate cake. Whatever name you give to this cake, it looks very good to eat.

Thanks to Carmen Cristal (our own PocketCultures contributor from Romania) for sharing this photo. You can read more of Carmen’s posts about Romania here.

Pocketcultures loves to talk about food from around the world. If you have some photos, why not join our Food of the World Flickr group?

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 Most of Christians in Romania celebrated yesterday Boboteaza – the day when Jesus Christ was baptized in the Jordan River by John The Baptist.

Together with Saint John Day on the 7th of January, it symbolizes the end of the winter Christmas holidays.

During a special religious service called “Great Holy Water” the waters are blessed. These waters (called Agheazma) are said to maintain their freshness all year long and to have miraculous powers . People attend in great number the religious service and queue when it ends, to fill their bottles with the Agheazma .

Photos taken yesterday morning at Kretulescu Church in the Center of Bucharest

Taking a sip of holy water every morning, before eating, it is said to act like a talisman, protecting you from troubles, bringing peace of mind and soul.

Popular traditions also say that young people who are not married and put a twig of blessed basil, given by their priest, under their pillow, the night before Boboteaza, dream of their future spouse.

Find out more about Boboteaza traditions on Romania Simply Surprising.

Does your country celebrate Epiphany? Tell us about it in the comments.

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Getting married is expensive in many cultures. In China, customs put extra pressure on men to prove their success before getting married. But rising living costs make this more and more difficult.

So a new trend has appeared: a kind of no frills version of wedding, called a ‘naked wedding’.

Worrying about the bills? (credit)

The following excerpt is by Andy Yee for Global Voices Online. Read the full post here.

“A new term has become popular recently among Chinese netizens: ‘naked marriage’ (裸婚). Don’t be mistaken, but the term has a special meaning: it means getting married without a house, a car, a diamond ring and a proper wedding ceremony. Just taking a picture and getting a marriage certificate is all that is involved. Will you accept such kind of marriage?

Among these ‘naked’ aspects, having no house is the key point. A popular Chinese TV drama, Dwelling Narrowness, strikes chord with China’s ‘house slaves’ (房奴), especially those born after 1980, whose youth ambitions are wrecked because of the high property prices in China and inability to afford a mortgage.

Perhaps ‘naked marriage’ is common in Western countries, as couples in love will not care too much about having no flat, car or a big fat bank account. However, it is different in China, as housing is a very important symbolic guarantee. Few unmarried young women (or their parents) would agree to marry to unsuccessful men. And one important criteria of success is whether you have a flat.”

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