Bringing the joyful traditions of Baba Marta into the workplace
Every year on the 1st of March, Bulgarians, Romanians, some Greek and other communities in South-Eastern Europe come together to celebrate a centuries-old tradition. In Bulgaria, we call this the day of Baba Marta, which means “Grandma March.” Basically, the holiday is about sending off the winter and welcoming the approaching spring season.
One of the most beloved traditions in Bulgaria is the exchange of and wearing the so-called “martenitsas.” These are decorative pieces of red and white thread that are twisted together along with other elements. They are a symbol of health and happiness. Then, if the wearer comes across a stork, swallow or blossoming fruit tree, they should take off their martenitsa and tie it to a blossomed tree. It’s a simple tradition, but one that is filled with love, joy and warm thoughts about the season ahead.
SumUppers spreading the joy of Baba Marta
It was a day like any other until an unexpected post appeared in one of our most popular Slack channels for SumUppers across Europe. It was a heartwarming message celebrating none other than Baba Marta. But it wasn’t just any post, it was a very special video that made us all forget the uncertainties of this year, even if just for a few minutes.
Shared by UK Onboarding Agent, Gabriela Petkova, the video captured her Grandmother “Baba Ganka’’ reflecting on old local folklore and holiday tradition. From the comfort of her mountain town, Lovech, she was sitting on a sofa that was covered in Martenitsas. She spoke loudly and clearly in Bulgarian and her intonation was a clear sign of how passionate she was about the tradition.
This video was more than just a video. It was a reminder that no matter how hard times get, we can always find joy in the traditions we share with others.
Baba Ganka’s side of the story
We decided to ask Gabriela if she’d do us the honour of sitting with us for a short interview. At first, she felt a bit uneasy about putting her grandmother in the spotlight again. But as time went on, she decided it would be a great way to further honour Baba Ganka’s passion for Baba Marta.
It turns out, Baba Ganka used to sell Martenitsas each year at the town’s street market. And she was quite the trader, too! Gabriela’s grandma used to buy and import clothing, toys and sweets from Turkey and sell them at a small kiosk every other day. Leading up to March 1st, however, her entire family would come together to help her sell and stock Martenitsas.
“When she first started selling them, there weren’t many others who did. So it was a great way to generate income and savings for the family,” Gabriela says. Selling Martenitsas helped Baba Ganka insulate her entire house and also support Gabriela for pocket money during her student years.
Coming together
Baba Ganka retired two years ago. And while we’re sad that we missed the chance to help her use SumUp’s POS terminal to accept cashless payments, Gabriela found other obvious connections between this family story and her job at SumUp.
“There are so many stories of Bulgarians connecting through Martenitsas on the 1st of March all over the world.” Gabriela continues. “And at SumUp, we care about diversity and inclusion and by supporting these differences, we connect and appreciate each other even more.”
After sharing the video, she received so many nice messages from SumUppers sharing what it meant to them. The small gesture had left a big impact.
“I loved the video as I am always impressed by handcrafted work, particularly when it is made by elderly people. As I do some handcrafted stuff, as well, I was really touched by Baba Ganka. I called Gabriela to greet her for the video. And Baba Ganka inspired me to make my own martenitsas and give them away at the office, too,” shared Mariya Hristova, Onboarding Agent with German at SumUp.
“Baba Ganka’s video was awesome, I was really excited to watch it! I think it is a really good idea to share with our foreign friends and colleagues our typical Bulgarian customs and celebrations, but it is also good to remind ourselves that they still exist and there are still people like baba Ganka and Gabriela who are trying to keep them alive,” shared Velizara Trenova, Onboarding Team Leader.
Even Melisa Duarte, Internal Communications Manager who is originally from South Argentina made her first handcrafted Martenitsas and now proudly wears it. She made one for her cat, too, who also loves it. “I want to learn from other traditions and share my traditions and I really like that we share things related to our culture and I hope to have more initiatives like this one. It helps me connect with others. And I love the colours,” Melisa radiantly shares as she shows the red and white coat of arms of her favourite home football club River Plate.
When Baba Ganka learned just how loved her story was, she decided to hand-make her famous Martenitsas for everyone in the SumUp Sofia office. “I was planning to get Martenitsas for only my team, but now I am happy to share them with everyone at SumUp”, Gabriela laughs.
All in all, this is just one small example of how traditions can help us look past the weight of current events and focus on coming together and bringing joy. I’m thrilled to be working for a company that has room to celebrate all traditions, no matter the culture. We’re all unique, but at the end of the day, we’re one company united by our mission to help small businesses succeed around the globe.
