Baba Marta and Martenitsa: 1 March in Bulgaria (2027)

This guide is for visitors and people who have just moved to Bulgaria: what the tradition means, how to give and wear a martenitsa without getting it wrong, when to take it off, where the stalls are in central Sofia and what else happens in the first days of March. We checked the customs against the National Ethnographic Museum in Sofia, Bulgaria's own heritage register and UNESCO, and the Sofia stall locations against the district order for the 2026 season, on 12 November 2026. Dates for 2027 events are not announced yet, so where we describe 2026 we say so.

What Baba Marta means

In Bulgarian folklore March arrives as an old woman. When Baba Marta smiles the sun comes out; when she is cross, winter returns for a day or two. The custom grew around keeping her in a good mood: households used to hang something red outside, an apron, a belt, a rug or just a thread, so that she would smile and spring would come sooner. Bulgaria's national register of living heritage describes her as the earth itself in transition, from frozen ground to a new harvest.

The tradition is very much alive. From mid February the streets fill with stalls, and on 1 March almost everyone you meet, from schoolchildren to bank clerks, is wearing red and white. The greeting is Chestita Baba Marta (roughly "Happy Baba Marta"), said as you tie the charm on someone's wrist.

Since 6 December 2017 the tradition has been on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, under the name "Cultural practices associated to the 1st of March". It is a shared inscription of Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Moldova and Romania.

Martenitsa meaning: the colours, the thread, Pizho and Penda

A martenitsa is, at its simplest, one white and one red thread twisted together. According to the national register, the thread stands for life, white for purity and red for blood, new life and fertility. Specialists at the Ethnographic Museum in Sofia add two old rules: the thread should be wool, and it has to be twisted, because the twist stands for winter and summer winding around each other in the month that sits between them.

In the past it worked as an amulet. The oldest woman in the house made the martenitsi (the plural) and tied them on those who needed protection most: children, young women, brides and newborn animals. Today it is a small gesture of affection and respect that everybody takes part in.

The best known design is a pair of little wool dolls called Pizho and Penda. Pizho, the boy, is mostly white; Penda, the girl, is mostly red and you can tell her by her skirt. You will also see bracelets, tassels, pompoms, necklaces and brooches. Not every region keeps to red and white: a specialist at the museum describes many-coloured martenitsi with yellow, green and blue in the Rhodope Mountains, white and blue around Berkovitsa and Kardzhali, and red and blue around Melnik and Sofia. A coin was sometimes added for a good harvest, or a blue bead against the evil eye.

Martenitsa etiquette: giving and wearing one

• It is a gift. The whole point is the exchange. Buy a handful and give them to the people you deal with: your host, your guide, colleagues, the neighbours. Nobody expects it from a visitor, which is exactly why it goes down so well.
• Accept every one. If someone ties a martenitsa on you, say thank you and keep it on. By lunchtime on 1 March many Bulgarians have a whole sleeve of them. Wearing several at once is completely normal.
• Where to wear it. On the wrist, often the left, around the neck, or pinned to your coat or jumper. Brooch styles suit people who cannot wear a bracelet at work.
• When to put it on. On the morning of 1 March, not before. Buying early is normal; wearing early is not.
• What to say. "Chestita Baba Marta", and a wish for health. That is all.
• It is for everyone. Men, women and children wear them, and you do not need to be Bulgarian or religious to join in.

When to take off a martenitsa, and what to do with it

You wear it until you see the first sign of spring: a stork, a swallow, a cuckoo or a fruit tree in blossom. If spring is late, tradition gives two dates: 9 March, the feast of the Forty Holy Martyrs, or 25 March, the Annunciation. In 2027 those are a Tuesday and a Thursday.

Then you do one of three things:

• Tie it to a blossoming fruit tree, passing on to the tree the health and luck it brought you. This is why Bulgarian parks and gardens are dotted with red and white in April.
• Put it under a stone. In the version recorded in the national register, you do this when you see your first stork and look under the stone the next day: if there are insects there, the year will be a fruitful one.
• Throw it towards the sun or the bird, an older custom the Ethnographic Museum describes, asking for health in return.

If you fly home before you have seen a stork, take it with you and tie it to the first tree in blossom you find; the tradition travels well. One request from us: if you tie yours to a tree in a city park, choose one made of wool or cotton and tie it loosely. Plastic beads and synthetic cord stay on the branches for years.

Where to buy a martenitsa in Sofia

There is no single martenitsa market in Sofia. They are sold from street stalls in spots that each district mayor approves by order, and street selling outside those spots is not allowed. The 2027 locations are not published yet (in recent years the central district has published its order in the first days of February), but the main spots tend to repeat from year to year. For the 2026 season the central Sredets district approved 275 pitches for martenitsi, cards, flowers and spring souvenirs:

• Vitosha Boulevard: the longest row, about 86 pitches between numbers 1 and 69.
• Graf Ignatiev Street: about 55 pitches, eight of them in front of the garden of Sveti Sedmochislenitsi church.
• Slaveykov Square: more than 30 pitches, some right by the fountain.
• Sveta Nedelya Square, in front of the church: 16 pitches.
• Garibaldi Square: 10 pitches.
• Metro exits: 10 pitches on each side of Vasil Levski Stadium station and 10 at the Sofia University station.
• Also: Rakovski Street, the Sofia University entrance on Shipka Street, Orlov Most and Vasil Levski Boulevard.

In 2026 the district order ran from 9 February to 9 March and the martenitsa permits started on 18 February, so the widest choice in the centre is in the last ten days of February. You will also find martenitsi in supermarkets, bookshops and souvenir shops. Prices depend on size and handwork. Carry some cash, as not every stall may take cards; Bulgaria has used the euro since 1 January 2026.

What to look for. A traditional martenitsa is wool, twisted by hand. Ask for "rachna izrabotka" (handmade) if you want one made by a craftsperson, not a factory. Charity sales pop up every year too: in February 2026 one opened in the lobby of the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy with pieces made in social enterprises. The National Ethnographic Museum, in the former royal palace at 1 Knyaz Alexander I Square, has held a martenitsa exhibition and sale with the Sofia guild of folk craft masters in past seasons, and runs children's workshops in the last days of February (they are aimed at local children, so expect Bulgarian, and in past years places had to be booked ahead; check the museum's site in mid February). The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 18:00, so it is closed on Monday 1 March 2027 itself.

A flat, light martenitsa is one of the easiest things to take home for friends. For other ideas see our guide to shopping in Sofia and Bulgaria.

Baba Marta 2027: dates and what else happens in early March

1 March is not a public holiday, so nothing closes. 3 March is. The 2027 programme has not been announced; in 2026 Sofia marked the day with the raising of the national flag at the Monument to the Unknown Soldier at 11:00, a ceremonial changing of the guard in front of the Presidency at 12:00 and fireworks on Narodno Sabranie Square at 18:30. All three are in the centre and free to watch.

If you are in Sofia those days, this is what you can book with us:

• A walk through the centre. The Sofia small group walking tour lasts up to two hours, is guided in English and costs 18 EUR per adult. It starts at 1, 19-ti Fevruari Street and needs booking at least 48 hours ahead. A good way to see the city dressed in red and white, with someone to ask about what you are looking at.
• A longer look at the city's layers. Stella's Sofia takes 2 to 4 hours through Roman Serdica, the mosque and the medieval churches, with an English speaking guide: 40 EUR per adult, 20 EUR for children aged 6 to 12.
• Somewhere to stay. Our hotels in Sofia. The centre is busy around the national holiday, so book early.
• From the airport. A private transfer from Sofia Airport to the city centre is from 30 EUR per car, for up to four passengers.
• A day out of town on the holiday. See our day trips from Sofia.

For tours you pay 20% online and the rest to the host at the end of the service. We do not sell martenitsi ourselves: buy them from the stalls above.

Baba Marta's moods are not just a story. Early March in Sofia is often still wintry, with the odd warm afternoon, so pack for both: see Sofia weather by month. If this tradition has caught your interest, Bulgaria's other great end of winter custom is the masked dancers in our kukeri and Surva guide, and for a first visit to the capital there is Sofia in 3 days.

Frequently asked questions