In the Bulgarian ritual culture, Baba Marta is a symbol of spring and an expression of a wish for health and fertility at the beginning of each new cycle in nature. The tradition is related to ancient pagan history from the Balkan Peninsula. The most specific feature of the 1 March rite is garnishing with twisted white and red woollen yarns.
According to Wikipedia, the tradition is still kept in our days in Romania, Moldova, North Macedonia, part of Greece, Serbia, Albania, as well as in a part of today's Ukraine.
