Баба Марта

Bulgarian

Etymology

From баба (baba, “grandmother, old woman”) ‎ Марта (Marta). The name is typically interpreted as feminized variant of otherwise masculine month-name март m (mart), as the traditions related to Баба Марта are celebrated during that time of the year.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈbabɐ ˈmartɐ]

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Proper noun

Ба́ба Ма́рта • (Bába Márta) f

1. (Slavic mythology) Baba Marta (personification of spring, rebirth, cyclicity)

Usage notes

The personage Баба Марта seems to incorporate motives from Slavic, Paleo-Balkan (see the cults related to the Mother Goddess Cybele or those of Hellenic Vegetation Goddess Persophone), Eastern, and Christian tradition. She may have been conceptualized on the basis of the actual person Martyress Eudocia, whence Baba Docia - a similar mythological figure from Romanian folklore.