MARTISOR I chose to speak about this brooch because it is a way Romanian people celebrate the beginning of spring, the revival of nature and most of all love. The brooch has attached to it a white and red ribbon. The white represents the purity of a new cycle of life and the red represents love. Usually men buy these for women and women wear it until the 8th of March when we celebrate Mother’s day in Romania. For me, my sister and my mother these were more than a present from boys or from our dad. They were a way of spending time together because every year my mother used to make hundreds of these brooches and sell it in the market. Me and my sister used to help her put the ribbons. I remember it was a joy creating and packing those little symbols of spring with my sister. When I came to the US in 2002 my mother was already here and we left my sister in Romania. We have lost a lot of the important events in each other’s lives, but we haven’t lost the memories of those nights spent giggling and laughing together. Last year my mother and my daughter made the brooches that are in the picture together. They spent a day to make them but it was filled with joy and happiness just like the ones me and my sister used to spend with our mother.

– florentina

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