Martis and Chelidonismata
1 March 2026 — Little swallow, are you bringing the spring?
On 1 March in Greece, children tie a martis, a bracelet of twisted red and white thread, around their wrists. They wear it through the month to protect their skin from the strengthening March sun. The custom is closely related to the Bulgarian martenitsa. When they see the first swallow, the bracelet is taken off and tied to a branch or left under a stone.
Another ancient spring tradition is the swallow songs (chelidonismata). Children go from house to house singing about the swallow that brings good weather, and receive small treats. The oldest recorded text of such a song is attributed to ancient Rhodes. The songs are most often sung on 1 March.
Swallows return from the south at the end of winter and the start of spring, so the day is a sign that longer, brighter days are coming. The sun rises earlier, and the winter constellations slowly give way to the spring ones. Meteorological spring also begins on 1 March.
Flying across the sky: An ethereal, bluish-silver swallow made of bright dots and fine connecting lines, like a constellation gliding across the night sky
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