Mini Quiz: What is Mărțișor?

Happy First of March !

It's beginning to look a lot like spring time here in Romania. For this week's lagniappe, we are sending along a trivia round that will, alas, never be. After researching and writing most of the questions, we deemed this round unsuitable for live game-play. You may not have your charming host on screen, but you can still enjoy playing along at home. Scroll down to see the questions, answers, and explanations.

Celebrated every March 1st in Romania and Moldova, Mărțișor (meaning "little March") marks the passage of winter into spring. It's uncertain whether the tradition originated with the ancient Romans or Thracians, as both cultures celebrated New Year on the same date. Nowadays people in Romanian-speaking areas celebrate by exchanging Mărțișor threads--good luck charms made of twisted red and white thread, often bearing coins or charms, and with the consumption of red and white food (sometimes said to preserve women's clear skin and rosy cheeks through the year to come.)

1. Nowadays represented by red and white, what were the original colours of Mărțișor? (Choose 2)
2. red
3. blue
4. green
5. black
6. white
7. What red and white combination of foods or drinks are traditionally consumed on Mărțișor?
8. milk and cherries
9. wine and cheese
10. salt and paprika
11. roasted peppers and sour cream
12. What is traditionally done with a mărțișor thread at the end of the month?
13. tied in the branches of a fruit tree
14. burned
15. hung above the doorway of your home
16. returned to the person who gave it to you
17. What flower is traditionally associated with Mărțișor in Romania?

Answers:

1. The original colours of Mărțișor are thought to have been white (representing the sky and sun), and black (representing the Earth, soil, and fertility.) These colours are still used in some regions but have mostly been replaced by white and red, representing winter and spring.
2. Although all of the foods, drinks, and spices listed are important components of Romanian cuisine, red wine and sweet white cheese are the traditional food associated with the holiday.
3. Traditionally, after wearing the mărțișor thread for the whole month of March, it should be hung in the branches of a fruit tree (regionally cherries, apricots, and apples would be the most common.) In the past, the thread was said to have magical protective properties, however in modern times it is mostly seen as a token of friendship or love, with the holiday's proximity and shared colour scheme with Valentines Day leading to a degree of conflation between the two.
4. Like in many other European countries, the snowdrop is associated with the arrival of spring and the rebirth of flowers and plants, and the flower is often exchanged on Mărțișor. In any Romanian city in the final weeks of February there are dozens of vendors selling mărțișor threads and snowdrops lining busy shopping streets.

That's all for now! We are off to buy some celebratory cheese. Join us tonight for our Monday pub quiz live stream.

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MJ and Jessica