Честита Баба Марта

Today my Bulgarian PhD student brought me a martenitsa to wear in recognition of "Grandma March Day", a holiday celebrated in Bulgaria on 1 March. It's a red and white string to wear round my wrist until I see "a stork, swallow or flowering tree". I should then tie it to a tree. Supposedly it's one of the oldest, extant pagan traditions in Christian Europe. And that's fine by me. She then gave me this bigger martenitsa which her mother sent for me. And, yes, we also had a useful meeting work-wise!