Cross Stitch / Punct in cruce

Punct in cruce

Punct in cruce este o forma populara de brodat, in forma de X. Punct in cruce este una dintre cele mai vechi forme de broderie intalnita peste tot in lume. Multe exemple de imbracaminte decorate cu metoda punct in cruce se gasesc mai ales in muzeele populare din Europa continentală si Asia.

In Statele Unite primele forme de punct in cruce aparute prin 1653, sunt adapostite de Pilgrim Hall in Plymouth Massachusetts. Acestea au fost create, se pare, de fiica capitanului Miles Standish, Loara Standish.

In mod traditional punctual in cruce a fost folosit pentru infrumusetearea costumelor populare si a impodobirii locuintei.

Astazi acesta forma a broderiei este folosit in numeroase aplicatii. Dupa cum vedeti eu o folosesc la realizarea martisoarelor.

Marimea acestor martisoare

Cross Stitch

Cross-stitch is a popular form of counted-thread embroidery in which X-shaped stitches in a tiled, raster-likeaida cloth. The stitcher counts the threads in each direction so that the stitches are of uniform size and appearance. This form of cross-stitch is also called counted cross-stitch in order to distinguish it from other forms of cross-stitch. Sometimes cross-stitch is done on designs printed on the fabric (stamped cross-stitch); the stitcher simply stitches over the printed pattern. pattern are used to form a picture. Cross-stitch is usually executed on easily countable evenweave fabric called

ross-stitch is one of the oldest forms of embroidery and can be found all over the world.Many folk museums show examples of clothing decorated with cross-stitch, especially from continental Europe and Asia.

Two-dimensional (unshaded) cross-stitch in floral and geometric patterns, usually worked in black and red cotton floss on linen, is characteristic of folk embroidery in Eastern and Central Europe.

In the United States, the earliest known cross-stitch sampler is currently housed at Pilgrim Hall in Plymouth Massachusetts. The sampler was created by Loara Standish, the daughter of Captain Miles Standish circa 1653.

Multicolored, shaded, painting-like patterns as we know them today are a recent development, deriving from similar shaded patterns of Berlin wool work of the mid-nineteenth century.

Traditionally, cross-stitch was used to embellish items like dishcloths, household linens, and doilies (only a small portion of which would actually be embroidered, such as a border). Although there are many cross-stitchers who still employ it in this fashion, especially in Europe, it is now increasingly popular to simply embroider pieces of fabric and hang them on the wall for decoration. Like you see in this blog, I use cross stitch to make "martisoare" ... an Romanian tradition gift.

P.S. If you can't see what you require please feel free to contact me, I may be able to make it for you.

Romanian Valentine's Day

Dragobete's Day

Ever since ancient times, Romanians used to celebrate Dragobete on the 24th of February. It was a sort of Valentine's Day. This is the time when nature wakes up from her sleep, birds look for places to build their nests, and people, especially the youth, follow nature's course.



A mythological deity similar to Eros or Cupid, the son of Dochia, Dragobete is a handsome man who likes to indulge himself in love affairs. He isn't mild like St. Valentine, but tempestuous like the Dacian god who was thought to celebrate in heaven the marriage of all the animals. This has later on extended to people also, and young people keep the tradition up to this day: boys and girls meet on this special day to make their love last. People believed that birds got engaged on Dragobete's day. So the holiday has a quite deep motivation, if we come to think that birds were considered messengers of gods, the Greek word for "bird" meaning "heaven message." Dragobete is also a deity of joy and well-being, prone to giving parties and festivities, which often ended up in marriage.



According to the Romanian common belief, those who took part in the Dragobete festivities were protected against any sickness all year long. So: early in the morning, dressed up in their Sunday best, young people used to meet in the center of the village or in front of the church. If the weather was good, they would go singing in small groups to the forest, to look for snowdrops or other spring flowers, and if the weather was bad, they would gather at one's place to play games and tell stories.



On this occasion, young people used to make symbolical engagements (sometimes followed by real engagements). In the forest, they would gather around fires and talk. The girls would pick up flowers that were thought to have miraculous powers, in order to perform special rituals for love magic. Young girls would collect the fresh snow that they could find on this day and turn it into water. The water obtained from the immaculate snow was considered to be a magic love potion, which girls would use throughout the whole year. At lunchtime, girls suddenly started running back to the village. Each boy would begin chasing the girl that he liked. If the boy was fast enough and the girl he was chasing liked him back, this chase was followed by a long kiss. This was the playful engagement of the two, meant to last for at least another year.



The village's community was very interested in what happened on this occasion, because at this time of the year they could find out what weddings they would have to attend in autumn. In the afternoon they would have a great party, where everybody, be it couple or not, would dance, sing, have a good time because it was said that those who didn't have fun on Dragobete's day, or at least seen a person of the opposite sex, would not be able to find a partner for the rest of the year.



Women used to touch a man from another village on Dragobete's day, in order to behave more affectionately for the rest of the year, and they would also remember to well feed the animals in the courtyard, the birds in the sky, and protect all living creatures. Young men often partied in the neighboring villages, in order to have real good summers.



So Dragobete was a holiday of love, full of superstitions and special rituals. It was considered to bear luck for all activities and human actions, not only the small things, but also the big businesses. Farmers believed that Dragobete could help them have a richer year. People would not work on this day, they would keep it just like a religious holiday. They resumed their work to cleaning the house and cooking. It was believed that the girls who worked on Dragobete's day would be punished by this deity. Even if he sometimes "punished" the disobedient ladies, Dragobete was seen as protector of love, bearing luck to young lovers and young people in general, like a true Romanian Cupid.

Valentine's Day / Dragobete's Day Cards made by me

"Martisor" an ancient Romanian tradition

Romania provides the tourists all over the world memorable vacations through its wonderful and rich culture, its wild decors and the various entertainment and outdoor activities. Free of the communism rigors, the glow of the Romanian tourism has finally reached the Occident and has turned this country into a unique destination.

If you want to discover the real Romania, you will first have to learn its culture. Its ancient roots go way back in the time, when the Roman civilization first merged with the native one, and there are plenty of monuments and ancient ruins that prove the complexity of the Romanian culture. At the Black Sea shore you will have the chance to visit the Tomis, Callatis and Histria fortresses, that were build in the 7th century by the Romans, or the Trophaeum Traiani monument from Adamclisi.

But the thing that really separates Romania from other European traveling destination is its amazing folklore heritage. For many years this was a hidden treasure, compelling ancient traditions and local customs as well as numerous artisan objects that express entirely the Romanian spirituality.

One of these ancient traditions in the "Martisor".

“Martisor” calendar is represented symbolically by a bicolor cord, split in two seasons, winter and summer ( white = winter ; red = summer ), made a gift to March 1, Dochia’s day, ancient start of the agricultural year. The legend of the Martisor says that Baba Dochia was going through the woods with the sheep and she founded an apple and she made a “ borta” and tied with a thread attached. This action happens in a day of March 1 and then the habit expanded.

The Martisor is offered early morning on the first day of March; it used to be worn for 9-12 days, sometimes until the first tree would bloom when it was hung on a flowering branch to bring good luck to its bearer.

The day’s name is the diminutive of March and thus means something like “little” or “dear March”.

Martisorul significance remained the same over time: it is a symbol of spring, the return to life. It brings optimism and faith. Its form has changed over time.

The Martisor was a present that Romanians sent to each other on the first day of March, traditionally a gold coin suspended on a white-and-red braided thread with a silk tassel. The recipient used to wear it around his neck until he would see a blooming rose and the present was then placed on its branch; in this way Spring was poetically welcomed. .

In the villages of Transilvania, the red-and-white wool yarn Martisor was pinned on gates, windows, sheepfolds, tied around the horns of cattle, around the handle of buckets to protect from the evil eye and malefic spirits; it was believed that the red "color of life" could be an inducer of vitality and regeneration.

Later appear as small river stones painted white and red strung on a thread. Now beautifully colored beads, pottery and embroidered flowers have taken place..

Bulgarians also have a similar but not identical holiday on March 1, called "Martenitsa”. If and how these two holidays are related is still a matter of debate between ethnologists.