1st of March is officially the first day of spring. In Romania, there is a special tradition of offering to the dear ones a nice amulet, called "Mărţişor". The name of Mărţişor is the diminutive of March (in Romanian: Martie) and consists of a small decoration like a flower, an animal, a heart, tied to a red and white string. There are multiple symbols in this gift, but all of them have the main characteristics of revival, sensibility and love. The gift is considered to bring good luck and wealth. Some consider the red as the symbol of the spring, and the white for winter because the tradition takes place right between the two seasons. People wear it on their coats or blouses for at least the first 8 days of March and some of them for the whole month.
1st of March is also our marriage anniversary and it's our second one this year. Here some pictures from the previous two years:
1 March 2007 - Brighton
1 March 2008 - Chandler's Ford
1 March 2009 - Chandler's Ford - with our little girl, Maria Emma
Here are some pictures of Maria at 3months: