site.btaBulgarian Spring Tradition Brings White and Red to Ankara Park

Residents of Ankara were greeted with white and red charms to welcome the arrival of spring. In the heart of the Turkish capital, at Swan Park, the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in Turkey, together with partner organizations, organized a spring-themed handicraft workshop celebrating the century-old Bulgarian tradition of martenitsa.

Participants, including children, created martenitsa, traditional handmade ornaments, and shared them with passers-by. For the first time, such an ornament was also presented to the Cankaya District Municipality of Ankara, which hosted the event.

For some visitors, the tradition sparked curiosity; for others, it was already familiar from previous years.

“Every year on March 1, Swan Park becomes 'Martenitsa Park'. In previous years, we have welcomed dance groups from Bulgaria and university students studying Bulgarian language. Each year we strive to make the event different and more original, and this year our guests are children from the Nasreddin Hodja Science and Art Center. We have a continuously growing community of friends and followers of the martenitsa,” said the Ambassador of Bulgaria to Turkey, Angel Cholakov.

The workshop brought joy and excitement, especially to those experiencing the tradition for the first time.

"I felt joy while making a martenitsa, because its colors symbolize happiness and long life. Making one is truly something beautiful, both in meaning and appearance. It makes you feel as if a wish has come true, shared Zeynep Akgul, a sixth-grade student at the Nasreddin Hodja Science and Art Center.

"For the first time, our center is participating in the making of martenitsa. The children are experiencing the excitement and joy of welcoming spring," said the director of the Nasreddin Hodja Science and Art Center, Iliyaz Yaldız.

The celebration also carried emotional meaning for members of the local community with family roots in Bulgaria.

"The roots of my family are from Bulgaria, and we carry those traditions with us. Here in the park, we make a wish and later tie the ornament to a blossoming tree in the hope that it will come true," said Dr. Yuksel Yozkale, chairman of the Foundation of Balkan Immigrants in Ankara.

The spring greeting was later shared with the Çankaya Municipality of Ankara.

"Today we are here together with the Embassy of Bulgaria for the martenitsa workshop. This tradition has deep roots and is part of UNESCO’s cultural heritage. It symbolizes peace, spring, and friendship. It is an honor for us to host this event and experience it together in the park," said Umut Berker Sevilmis, Director of Foreign Relations at the Cankaya Municipality of Ankara.

"Let us wish above all for peace, health, and smiles - like the thousands we see in the park today. Happy Baba Marta once again!" Ambassador Cholakov told the guests.