Greek Custom Renders Sunblocks Useless!

in #greek-trail7 years ago (edited)

It's the first day of March today, meaning spring has just begun (hooray!) and I wanted to share a greek custom with you... 

Every year on 1st March my grandma or my mum would make my sister and me bracelets with red and white thread. We were supposed to wear them for the whole month so we wouldn't get... burnt by the sun. Yes, you heard it right, we don't need sunblocks because we have our Μάρτη (martie) bracelets to protect our skin from the spring sun (a method scientifically approved and accepted by all dermatologists). You can also wear it as a ring (although I prefer the bracelets). At the end of the month, you cut it off and leave it on a rose or any other tree so that the swallows will take them to build their nests.

Why red and white? Because these colors are believed to fight negative energy from others against us, what we call μάτι (eye). 

This custom with some variations can be found in other countries of the Balkan peninsula like Albania, Romania, Moldova and Bulgaria. The Romanian legend is really beautiful, allow me to share it with you:

The Sun had turned into a man and came down to earth, but a dragon kidnapped him and the world was left in darkness. The world was withering until a brave young man decided to confront the beast. The man beat the dragon and the Sun was set free, but he lost his life. His blood was poured onto the white winter snow and as an honor to his sacrifice people make a talisman from red and white thread to offer as a gift. The gift is worn from the 1st to the 31st March when it is hanged on a fruit-tree and is meant to bring good health and luck. [source]

If you want to learn more, you can check out wikipedia's article.


Do you want to make some with me and my trolls? Come on!

First, we take some red and white yarn or thread. You take measures of your wrist and cut the thread accordingly (you don't want it to be too tight).

Then, tie the one ending of the threads...

 and start twirling them together to get this spiraling  result.

Wrap around your wrist, tie and cut the edges.

Your protection against the sun's harmful UV rays is ready!

Here we made a Steemit Μάρτη! Do you like it?

*All images above by @ruth-girl

If you want, you can take it a step further and turn those simple bracelets into real pieces of jewelry just like my artist cousin does:

Images from my cousin's facebook page (I won't provide a link, because she asked me not to) 


Question! Question Miss, why are there little eyes hanging?

In Greece people believe in what we call μάτι (matie = Eye). As I told you before, it is the negative energy from a person against you, it usually comes from envy. It can get you all sorts of bad things, from a headache to losing your job. Those little eyes hanging fromthe bracelets are supposed to keep the Bad Eye away. So is the blue bead you can sea (Βάλε χάντρα θαλασσιά - Put on a blue bead, a song says). Don't forget, a Μάρτης bracelet does not protect you only against the sun, but also against other people's bad feelings towards you.

To fight it off we have a procedure called ξεμάτιασμα (ksematiasma - basically means undoing the bad things the Eye does). The procedure involves for the ξεματιάστρα (ksematiastra - the person who knows how to perform it) saying a prayer, spilling some drops of olive oil over a small glass of water. As the drops fall on the water they may accumulate to form a great dot (that's when we say the person the prayer was meant for had the Eye on them). This person must then take three sips from this glass to break the bad energy's effect and the rest of the liquid is disposed off in a place where no ones steps (usually a flower pot).

Pretty cool, huh? 

Of course what I just described is what my mother used to do (mock it or not, she did that to me back in the days when I was a cute, chubby kid and she thought I was so beautiful that people envied me and gave me a headache, I don't remember if it worked btw). And although it might sound contradictory, the Church has accepted the Eye and there are prayers for protection against it.

If you have made it to the end of this not so ruth-girl-like post, I'd like to listen to your views on my country's traditions.

Thank you so much for your time!

Until my next post,
Steem on and keep smiling, people!

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Awesome write-up!

I did not know the history of the Μάρτη. It's funny how we take our precious tradition for granted when we are brought up with it. Thanks for enlightening us. I hope you follow this up with similar posts.

I wish you a Blessed Pascha.

I know, the tradition dates back in ancient Greece and Byzantine years, I just didn't want to get too many details here. I think I'll get a few more posts like this, we have so many customs worth mentioning.

Blessed Pascha to you too @exercisinghealth! :)

I think you will have content for months in this direction! Simple is good though. Give people a taste of the traditional and they can go find out more....
Looking forward to the next one

Okay when I saw the title I thought the customs office in Greece actually put some kind of ban or regulation on importing Sunblock creams or lotions!! 🤣😆

Now I feel stupid 🙄

Bahahahahahahahahahaha! Really?!

Yes 😂

In fact this is not my favourite office here in Greece at all and I expect everything of them!

Hahaha but isn't that the same with all customs offices all over the world!! xD xD

At the end of the month, you cut it off and leave it on a rose or any other tree so that the swallows will take them to build their nests.

Ah! That's so cute!

Τουλάχιστο έτσι έχει κάποιο όφελος αυτή η δεισιδαιμονία!

Ναι, έχει μια δόση ρομαντισμού που τα μικρά (και τα μεγάλα) παιδιά αγαπάνε! :D

Edw sto grafeio (ny) kathe xrono tous ftiaxnei mia sunadelfos Thessalonikia. Prin thn gnorisw den eixa ksana akousei giauto to ethimo...

8210C1FF-0438-48F6-80FA-F14380FD718D.jpeg

Ωωω! Υπερατλαντικός Μάρτης δηλαδή :Ρ

Καλό μήνα να έχουμε! :)

Nai!! Kalo mina!

Λοιπόν μιάς και είχαμε την ίδια ιδέα να ποστάρουμε για τον Μάρτη σήμερα, θα σου κάνω παραγγελία ένα "Μάρτη" steemit 😂😉!!!

Αχαχαχαχα! Έγινε! Να πάρω όμως καλύτερα γράμματα, πιο φαντεζί, αυτά είχαν ξεμείνει από κάτι άλλες χειροτεχνίες.

Το είδα το ποστ σου το πρωί, αλλά δεν πρόλαβα να το διαβάσω ολόκληρο κι ήταν πολύ ενδιαφέρον! Θα πάω να το τελειώσω σε λίγο ;)

Thanks so much. Shared your post in a German/Greek Facebook-Group

That's cool, thank you ;)

I like these traditions, and to me its not important, if the "magic" works or not. Believing that it works, already takes you a long way :-)

Nice tradition, I better go and buy some yarn. And your cousin should get a steemit account!

Traditions are what makes us feel we belong to a people, a culture, a trail in history...

You are right! I have been trying to get her make one for months. Maybe I should just make her one to get it over with and then have her knit some Μάρτη high heels for her introduction post :P

Excellent idea! I guarantee, it will be very successful.. with me at least ;-)

We have the same tradition here in Romania. Nice, I didn't know Greece has Martenitsa(mărțisor in the Romanian language)

It's fun, 'cause I didn't know other countries had it either.
Thanks for reading @alexandraioana26! :D

αν δεν αλλάξει ο καιρός να βγάλει λίγο ήλιο μόνο το μάτι θα μας χρειάζεται!

Ένα δίκιο το 'χεις! Καλό μήνα! :D

Καταρχάς καλό μήνα! Πολύ ωραίο άρθρο! Εμαθα κανα δυο πραγματα που αν και ελληνίδα δεν ειχα ιδέα, οπως η ιστορία με τον ηλιο... πραγματικά καταπληκτική😏😊

Καλό μήνα και σε σένα! Ευχαριστώ! Είναι απίστευτο πόσο ίδιες είναι κάποιες παραδόσεις ανάμεσα σε διαφορετικούς λαούς και οι θρύλοι του καθενός πραγματικά αξίζουν να τους διαβάσεις!

It's a pretty tradition, there are customs everywhere, but I thought it was a nice way to celebrate the beginning of March in a way. At home, we would not do it to protect ourselves from the sun (because we do not have many ^ ^) So that it brings you luck and protects you from the bad eye especially. The little trolls are too cute with their bracelets.

Oh, you have it too? Well, from what I read lots of countries have this red&white combination for good luck.
My trolls say thank you for the compliment! :D

This is so cool. I love such things being an artist. Resteem done!

Thank you!

I just wished I could take better pictures, but it was hard using one hand :P

Tα κολιε δειχνουν πολυ ομορφα.Ειδικά αυτό με το Steemit ειναι αξιοζηλευτο.Καλό μήνα @ruth-girl

Σε ευχαριστώ! Καλό μήνααααα! :)

Καλημέρα... νομίζω νομίζω οτι σε ματιάζω... ναι σε μάτιασα.. βλέπω σε λιγο το βαμμένο νύχι να ξεφλουδιζει... :pppppp

Καλημέρα! Καλό μήνα!

Αχαχαχαχαχα! Το βαμμένο νύχι ήδη έχει χαλάσει, αλλά κι αυτό είναι επίτηδες έτσι για το μάτι! :P

Great story. The bracelets you made are very cute though even if they don't stop sunburn!

There's no chance of that here. It's freezing. I can't wait for Spring!

What do you mean they don't stop sunburn?Do you question the tradition? Hahahaha! :P

Thanks for reading!

My apologies @ruth-girl. I thought from the tone of your article that's what you were saying. 😁 😁 😁

Just trolling you @gillianpearce! No worries :P

Have a great day! :D

This is quite an interesting discovery, you said scientifically proven and approved, but is that not in the mind. It makes me think of placebo effect. What the mind believes, the minds gets it. Anyways your article is a good read. Thanks.

I was only being sarcastic, there is no proof of a simole wristband protecting against UV radiation, of course you need sunblock for that.

Thanks for reading! :)

Why do you say that?

After all, if the anti-rape bracelets work for the Swedish and German women, saving them, as their governments declare, who says your does not?

Funnily enough, I did not know about the Marti bracelet. Could it be that Greeks from Smyrni did not have this tradition?

Do you think the placebo effect can work? Or is it the power of mind that will protect us from the harmful radiation? Or should we just write on it "Don't burn me" and expect from the sun to read it? (just kidding)

Yeah, they probably didn't have it in Smyrni, from what I read it was mainly a Balkanian tradition.

Imagine a scenario, aliens arrive and they look exactly like us, but they have a gift we do not. They can levitate (fly). They stay hidden so as to study us, but they kidnap a few babies which have been aborted and that are still alive.
The babies grow up separately from each other, so they think all people can fly.
What is the likelyhood that at least one of them will be able to fly, because he or she thinks they can, that it is natural to do so?

In my previous reply I was attempting humour, carrying on in the vein you were writing, using the stupid no-rape bracelet to accentuate what you had said (by the way, can you believe any adult could be that stupid as to believe the bracelets would work?. For them to work, the raper would have to be sensitive and empathic, and if they had those qualities, surely they would not be attempting to rape?)

Funny scenario. I believe they would be disappointed to see they were deffective because they wouldn't be able to fly.

As for the bracelets, it was sarcasm towards the silliness of those anti-rape bands. As if a rapist would see the inscription and spare a moment to think "Oh no, this is wrong and I have no right over this person's body" (I use person to generalise).

Well...I can fly - and I hope you also can.

Flying dreams are my favourite! I wish I could have them more often (psychologically, they say we dream of flying when we are feeling confident and have succeeded...which may explain why I don't have them that often.
:)

good morning!!! good months !!! with good omen to get the spring...very beautiful wristbands!!!

Thanks you! Good month to you too @angekan!! :)

Thank you, thank you. What a special tradition!

Oh thank you! :)

A good post @ruth-girl, which amazes me is the bracelet of your work. Very pretty and perfect. I also have a bracelet from a thread like this. But I bought the finished goods. Thank you @ruth-girl for the post, I will try to make it here.

Oh, you have one too? That's nice :)

Thank you for reading!

You'r welcome -_-

I will try it too

Remember my question about aliens and kids...You said the kids would be disappointed?(your previous reply).

Here is a video for you to watch - it'll blow your mind.

thanks for shearing

You copied the first comment you found under this post, which was from @adisrivastav

Have a flag for your spam :)

Upvoted ☝ Have a great day!

Stop lying to people! I will report you to @steemcleaners!

I've already reported it. It's a bot I think! 😊