Tradition of "Babele"
Folklore, traditions
About
People like weather customs, especially if they predict how they will fare over the course of the year. Ethnographers draw our attention to the fact that, despite what is said, not all babes are bad.
“Babele” and “Mosii” were named by Dacians and are positive figures that bring their sanctity to the fore. The official name of the month of March influenced, in the last decades, the generalization of the name of the holiday that falls on March 1, Mărțişor, in favor of other older names, such as Dochia, Dragobete. According to popular tradition, spring begins with Baba Dochia and her days, known as ″Baba Days″ (the first 9 or 12 days of March).
Baba's days correspond with the days when Baba Dochia's took her sheep to the mountains, an ascent dedicated to the death and seasonal rebirth of the agrarian goddess and calendar time, around the spring equinox.
Thus, among Romanians, the symbol of the martisor is also correlated with Baba Dochia, according to some traditions, the thread of the martisor being spun by her while climbing the mountain with the sheep. According to tradition, the Babas are characters from Romanian folk mythology, who appear at the beginning of March to herald the arrival of spring.
An old legend says that during these days Baba Dochia, responsible for bringing winter, begins to take off her 9 husks, one each day. Thus, every day it is a little warmer outside, while winter allows spring to bring nature to life.