On my first day in Bulgaria, one of the things that stood out to me were little red and white threads attached to the branches of trees. Upon closer inspection, the threads had beads and charms attached to their ends. Each seemed unique in some way. Throughout Bulgaria, whether I was in an urban area, a city like Sofia, or in the rural regions, wherever there was a tree, there were these intriguing threads, the colour of Christmas candy canes. They adorned the trees like coloured frosting on a cake. I soon discovered that these threads were not the work of fairies, but were something known as "Martenitza". What is martenitza? Martenitza (plural: martenitzi) is a Bulgarian custom with its origins in Bulgarian folklore. On March 1st, people wear these red and white decorations, which are said to provide health and strength. The red is likened to the redness of good apples and the white is akin to clean snow. It is a tradition which exists in the present day and i...