from building packages to strings on a newborn's arm. Children usually compete who will get the most. People wear martenitsa for a certain period, the end of which usually is connected with the first signs of spring birds like storks or swallows. Some people then tie their martenitsa to a tree, others place it under a rock and based on what they find there the next morning guess what kind of a year this one would be. The Bulgarian tradition resembles folklore known in parts of Asia and South America, to wear a lucky bringing friendship bracelet around the wrist until it wears out. It also resembles the German tradition of hanging empty eggs in blossoming trees during the (now Christian) Eastern folklore and the Persian tradition of hanging fruit in trees at midwinter. Other names The Romanian holiday Mărțișor is a variant of Baba Marta. See also Pizho and Penda Baba Dochia References Spring traditions Bulgarian traditions Bulgarian folklore March observances