With March 1 upon us, the places in Sofia selling the traditional martenitsa are multiplying, but merchants say their profits are significantly down compared to other years.

On March 1, Bulgarians celebrate the centuries-old tradition of exchanging red-and-white interwoven strings that bring health and happiness during the year. The strings are called martenitsa.

Merchants told the Bulgarian news agency BGNES reporter that this is the worst year in the last10 years, but some were hopeful people are yet to come out and buy martenitsa because the purchases made until now have been only for friends and relatives abroad.

Prices range from BGN 0,2 through BGN 3-5 to BGN 80 for the giant models. Most merchants claim their martenitsa are Bulgarian and handmade, but there is a huge variety of Chinese-made ones.

The unconventional new models include wine-bottle martenitsa along with toys such as robots and action heroes, but most Bulgarians still prefer the traditional martenitsa.

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