Bulgarian Martenitsa Adorns Trees around World

Bulgarian Martenitsa tree in Brisbane, Australia, on March 1, 2011. Photo by Boris Dimitrov

Trees adorned with the Bulgarian traditional martenitsa are to spread joy around the world on Thursday in several different cities.

The initiative, which was launched in 2011, comes from a group of Bulgarian emigrants across the globe and their Project Martenitsa aiming at promoting Bulgarian traditions and culture and creating a positive image of Bulgaria.

The idea to decorate trees with martenitsas belongs to Bulgarian artist, Maryan Milanov, who in 1992 decorated the first three in the southern Bulgarian city of Stara Zagora.

The Project Martenitsa abroad was launched in the Australian Queensland capital, Brisbane, after the Lord Mayor of Brisbane, Campbell Newman, personally approved the initiative and the sponsorship of the Project by the Brisbane City Council.

The Project's initiators have a website with pictures and information about the tradition.

"After the great success of the last year challenge for second time this year Project Martenitza challenges all Bulgarian, Romanian and Moldovan communities around the world to promote their unique tradition of celebrating 1-st of March and make it the most recognized symbol of their countries' culture by giving a symbolic martenitza/martisor to the cities where they live. By decorating trees, buildings or other objects in the city public place we will be sending out our best wishes for happiness and prosperity to the rest of the world," the site informs.

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