MOLDAVIAN LEGENDS

Once upon a time there lived an old woman, who had a lot of sheep and goats. She spent her days taking care of them and gained enough food to live. But people had never seen such a bad and greedy woman as she was.

February had passed and March came. Eudokia was burning with the desire to take her flock of sheep and goats to the mountain pasture. She did not want to wait any more. So she started with her sheep and goats. At the foot of the mountain the Spring Wind came into her way and said: “ It`s too early, Eudokia, it`s too early! March will freeze you!”

“Shut up your mouth! I am not afraid of March! I`ll turn him into a thread ball.”

She followed her way and soon she reached the heart of the mountains.

March was coming behind and splashed her with a heavy rain. Her sheepskin coat got very heavy. She threw it, because she had eleven more. But that warm weather lasted for long, so that the old woman had to take off all her sheepskin coats. Then March began to freeze the waters and the must in

the trees. The old woman, wet to the bones, got frzen together with her flock. Since then the first twelve days of March are called by people “Eudokia`s Days.”