Every March in Greece, people wear a simple thread bracelet called the Martaki—literally translating to “little March.”
Traditionally made out of twisting red and white threads, the Martaki is worn throughout the month as a charm of protection. Most people associate it with warding off the evil eye, but there was also another belief attached to it: that it would shield the wearer from the strong spring sun, preserving pale skin (white) and rosy cheeks (red) - once considered the ideal of health and beauty. That was clearly linked to the beauty standards of the time with a good amount of superstitions sprinkled on top.
Today, the Martaki is often worn playfully. Its protective role has softened (sunscreen does a far more reliable job—haha), yet the ritual remains. A small gesture that marks the turning of the season.
The reason I’m bringing this up, however, is that I recently discovered something fascinating.
While most of us know the classic red and white version, it turns out that the Martaki was far more diverse across Greece than we might imagine. In fact, there were at least five additional color variations, each rooted in local identity and meaning. Let’s take a look.
Red and Gold – Kos
At the island of Kos, young people wore the familiar red and white Martaki. But, newly married and engaged girls wore a red and gold version called astraphto (from the word “to shine”), as a way to mark a new chapter in life.
White, Red and Pink – Sifnos
In Sifnos, Martakia were made not only as bracelets but also as rings, crafted from three intertwined threads: white, red and pink.
White, Red and Gold – Paros
Young girls from the island of Paros wore Martakia of red, white and gold—not only around the wrist, but also on the upper arm.
White and Blue – Nestorio, Grammos
In the village of Nestorio in northern Greece, the Martaki was made from white and blue threads. During Ottoman rule, blue functioned as a color that distinguished Greek populations within the empire. How interesting that to this day, blue is still a color that is linked to Greek identity.
White and Black – Siatista
And perhaps the most unexpected variation comes from Siatista, where belief in the bracelet’s protective power was so strong that special black and white Martakia were made not for people, but for sheep! Who would have thought, right?!
Some Thoughts
What I love about these variations is how they reveal that Martaki was not as a single, fixed tradition. A simple twisted thread bracelet becomes a marker of status, geography, belief and even species. It reminds us that folk practices are never as uniform as we think—they shift, adapt and carry layers of meaning.
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Let’s keep unraveling these threads together.
