The first of May is celebrated throughout Europe, but slightly differently in each country. Most have similar-looking traditions, creating a false friends kind of misunderstanding, where similar symbols might have different meanings.
The white and red threads are one example. In some countries, the red thread may be the symbol for love, or even romantic love. In Romanian, however, the red thread stands for health. And the white thread, in Romania, stands for long life (it is like a grey hair.)
If you go to the ethnographic museum in Cluj (the one in the same building as the tourist information center by the old bus stop where you used to do squats, not the ethnographic park), you can see the largest collection of martisoare pins. Is it the largest collection in Europe?
In the video, the previous owner of the collection explains how she got it. In the old days, she was a female student among many male students. There were a lot of men giving pins, and few women to give them to. Then, when the communist period was over, other women heard that she had a collection, and began giving her their pins. About 80 percent of the pins in the collection are from the communist period. Production of the pins was different then. Now, you can still get some metallic pins, and some handmade ones, but not as many feel like they are built to last. (However, we did see some nice ones at the market in the main square and the smaller market at the Avram Iancu square.)
The vast majority of the pins are metal. To be a good martisoare pin, it should be “beautiful” and “not kitsch.”
What is Martisoare? It is the beginning of spring, when women are celebrated. It is a few days before International Women’s Day, and now many people give martisoare pins to men too. Most are kind of cheap.
Among the kinds of martisoare pins in the exhibit, you will find those that represent luck (horseshoes and four-leaf clovers), flowers, characters from fairy tales and children’s movies (personages de basme), animals, and much more.
There are some in glass, others in plastic, and a few ceramic pins.
Most of the text in the exhibit is in Romanian, including poems about Martisoare and a saying by Romanian poet George Cusbuc.
Here is a translation of the one by Vasile Alecsandri:
În fund, pe cer albastru, în zarea depărtată,
In the background, on the blue sky, in the far off horizon
La răsărit, sub soare, un negru punct s-arată!
At sunrise, beneath the sun, a black point is shown.
E cocostârcul tainic în lume călător,
And the shadowy crane, a traveller in this world
Al primăverii dulce iubit prevestitor.
The omen of sweet spring’s love.
El vine, se înalţă, în cercuri line zboară
He comes, rises, flying in a spiral
Şi, răpide ca gândul, la cuibu-i se coboară;
And as quickly as the thought, he swoops to his nest.
Iar copilaşii veseli, cu peptul dezgolit,
And the happy children, with their empty stomachs
Aleargă, sar în cale-i şi-i zic: „Bine-ai sosit!”
Run, jump in his path, and tell him, “Welcome, we are glad you arrived!”
În aer ciocârlia, pe casă rândunele,
IN the air, the hark, on the house swallows
Pe crengile pădurii un roi de păsărele
On the branches of the woods, a flock of birds
Cu-o lungă ciripire la soare se-ncălzesc
With a long chirp, they sun themselves warm
Şi pe deasupra bălţii nagâţii se-nvârtesc.
And on the puddles, the bugs spin.
Ah! iată primăvara cu sânu-i de verdeaţă!
Ah! See the spring with its greenish bosom!
În lume-i veselie, amor, sperare, viaţă,
In its happy light happiness, love, hope, life
Şi cerul şi pământul preschimbă sărutări
And heaven and earth exchange kisses
Prin raze aurite şi vesele cântări!
Through golden rays and happy songs!