Matisor is the traditional celebration of the beginning of the spring , on the 1st of March. The day's name is the diminutive of March (in Romanian ìMartieî), and thus means something like "little" or "dear March". Martisor is the symbol of spring and also a celebration on the first of March. Its beginnings are still a mystery, but it is usually said that it originated in ancient Rome, because New Year's Eve was celebrated on the 1st of March (ìMartiusî), the month of the war god Mars. He had a double role: both protector of agriculture and of war, so the celebration signified the rebirth of nature. The duality of symbols is kept in the colors of the Martisor: white and red, meaning peace and war (it might also symbolize winter and spring).
Nowadays, men offer women a talisman object also called Martisor, consisting of a jewel or a small decoration like a flower, an animal or a heart, tied to a red and white string. A woman wears it pinned to her blouse on this day and up to two weeks after. Women also offer it to other women and only occasionally to men.
However, giving a little nickel tied to a red and white string is an old custom and was originally designated for both men and women. It was believed that the one who wears the red and white string will be powerful and healthy for the year to come. The decoration is a symbol of the coming spring. In some parts of Romania such as Moldova or Bukovina the symbol of spring was a gold or silver medal which was worn around the neck. After wearing the coin for twelve days, they bought sweet cheese with the medal, because it was believed that their faces would remain beautiful and white the entire year.
This custom can be found in all areas where Romanians live.
History
Some ethnologists consider Martisor to have a Roman origin, while others believe it to have a Daco-Thracian origin.
In ancient Rome, New Year's Eve was celebrated on March 1 - 'Martius', as the month was called in the honor of the god Mars. Mars was not only the god of war but also an agricultural guardian, who ensured nature's rebirth. Therefore, the red and white colors of Martisor may be explained as colors of war and peace.
The Thracians also used to celebrate the New Year's Eve on the first day of March, a month which took the name of the god Marsyas Silen, the inventor of the pipe (ìfluierî, traditional musical instrument), whose cult was related to the land and vegetation. Thracian spring celebrations, connected to fertility and the rebirth of nature, were consecrated to him. In some areas, Daco-Romanians still celebrate the agrarian New Year in spring, where the first days of March are considered days of a new beginning. Before March 1, women choose one day from the first nine of the month, and judging by the weather on the chosen day, they would know how the next year will go for them. Similarly, in other areas, young men find out what their wives are going to be like. The first 9 days of March are called Baba Dochia's Days, Baba Dochia being an image of the Great Earth Goddess. The tradition says that you must pick a day from 1 to 9 March, and how the weather in that day will be, so it will be for you all year long.