Around the first of March every year, Bulgarians present to thier relatives and friends martenitsas - a double red and white tassel or ribbon - to bring health and happiness. On the first day of March, people in Bulgaria put the martenitsa-s on their clothes or wrists and wish each other health and happiness with "Chestita baba Marta" - (in English, "Happy Grandma Marta"). "Marta" comes from the word for March (Mart) in Bulgarian.
This is an ancient Bulgarian (pagan) tradition (nobody really knows how old, but most probably it's more than a thousand years old) and symbolizes the end of the cold winter and the coming of the spring.
Martenitsa-s are supposed to be worn until the person sees the first stork - representing the coming of spring. Then martenitsa-s are then tied to a blooming tree. The red and white colours symbolize the snow and the blood that come from old stories where a stork brings blessings for health to small children. The giving of the martenitsa makes you feel that Spring is coming very soon.
The lack of "real" winter and viewing of storks raises some difficulties in implementing this tradition nowadays, as most storks dont come to the city. However the Bulgarians are still celebrating and very fond of the 1st of March - in the traditional and "modern" way at the same time.
(information taken from: http://www.b-info.com/places/Bulgaria/BabaMarta/ )
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