#white thread

The name is derived from the Greek word for the month of March, “Martios”! From March 1st, it is a tradition, especially for children, to wear a bracelet made of twisted white and red thread (see photo). The white symbolizes purity, and the red color stands for life and passion.

Children wear the bracelet for the entire month and remove it the last day of March. After taking off the bracelet, they hang it in a fruit tree, so the tree will remain healthy and give many fruits.

However, the custom varies in different areas in Greece. For example, in some regions you can remove the bracelet when you see a swallow returning for spring, so the bird can use the thread to build its nest.

The 1st of March also indicates the beginning of Spring in Greece, and the hope for warm days and a lot of sun. Therefore, especially for young children, wearing the Marti bracelet also means you are protected from the burning sun.

@vampiregokudera Hello! I've been in love with your blog ever since i found it <3 all the kimonos are so pretty! And you seem to know a lot about kimono so i was wondering if you could help me with a question i had.

I ordered a kimono from ebay (seller sou-japan who sells used kimono and other traditional japanese items) and when it arrived i noticed it had loose sticking along the sleeves and other seams. (Kind of like how suit pockets or skirt flaps get sown shut for keeping them safe during transport and stuff) and i was wondering if you know if it's save to remove these loose stitches? I really don't want to ruin the kimono so i've been afraid of touching them ^^;

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Hi there :) I think you are describing white basting threads called "shitsuke ito" (躾糸). Those are fine threads, sewed in quite long stiches along the hems, sleeves openings etc (pic source):

Those stiches are done to prevent wrinkles and folds when putting a kimono away, and removed before wearing. Those basting threads also mean your kimono as been probably cleaned/was unworn before being put away so it's usually a good sign when buying a kimono :)

Exception are only for the small decorative ones (called kazari jitsuke 飾り仕付け) found on collar and back areas of kurotomesode and mofuku (=black kimono). But they are easily reconignizable as those are suuuper regular and tiny (and would be a pain to take away anyway), see my kurotomesode:

On basting thread subject, you can have a look at this video by Billy Matsunaga ^^ Hope it helps !

Since I've been so into the beads lately, I searched for other ways to utilise them. So! I found this video on YouTube, which taught me to thread the beads into a pattern like this! I made a pattern on my laptop, chose the colours based on the beads I had and,, spent 2 days threading it all. Additionally, I tightened the thread so that this little blanket would be very stable.