An evil woman married a poor man who had a daughter named Maritsa. That woman also had her own daughter, and her mother began to cherish and protect her more than her eyes. But she couldn’t stand her stepdaughter, who was diligent and obedient, she scolded her, tormented her and beat her, and in order to get her out of the world as quickly as possible, she fed her like a dog with all sorts of scraps, she was ready to treat her with a snake’s tail if it happened to be at hand; and put her to sleep in an old trough.
But Maritza grows up to be meek and hard-working, and she turned out to be much more beautiful and handsome than her own daughter. And the stepmother decided to drive her stepdaughter out of the yard.
So she sends her daughter and stepdaughter to bleach the wool; She gave white wool to her daughter, and black wool to her stepdaughter. “If your fur doesn’t become as white as my daughter’s, it’s better not to come home, I’ll kick you out anyway!” - she threatened Maritsa. The poor orphan became sad, began to cry, and said that she could not do such work, but the stepmother did not want to listen to anything. The stepdaughter realized that she couldn’t pity her stepmother, put the bundle of wool on her back and, shedding burning tears, wandered after her sister. So they approached the river, threw down their burden and began to bleach the wool. As soon as they got down to business, out of nowhere a girl appeared, white-faced and beautiful, and said tenderly:
- Hello, girlfriends! Should I help you?
The stepmother's daughter answers:
“I really need your help, my fur is already white, but our stepdaughter can’t do anything.”
An unfamiliar girl approached the sad Maritsa and said to her:
- Well, give it to me! And before you know it, your fur will turn white.
The two of them began to tug at it and wash it, and in the blink of an eye the black wool became whiter than snow. As soon as they finished work, the white-faced girlfriend disappeared somewhere. The stepmother was amazed when she saw the white fur, and became very embittered - after all, there was no reason to kick her stepdaughter out of the house now.
Fierce winter has come. It was frosty. The evil stepmother is still thinking about how to destroy her poor stepdaughter. Once she orders Maritsa:
- Take a basket, go to the mountains and pick ripe berries there for the New Year! If you don't find berries, it's better to stay in the mountains.
The poor thing began to twist, began to cry, and said:
“Where can I, poor thing, get ripe berries in such a bitter frost?”
But it was all in vain - she had to take the basket and go to the mountains.
Here she comes, all in tears, and twelve young men meet her. The girl politely greeted them. The young men answered kindly and asked:
“Why are you crying, dear maiden, and where are you going through the snow?”
The girl told them about her misfortune.
Young people say:
- We will help you if you guess which month of the year is the best.
“Everyone is good, but March is still the best, because it brings us hope,” answered Maritza.
The juniors liked her answer and said:
- Go to that sunny valley over there and take as many berries as your heart desires.
Maritza brought wonderful berries to her stepmother for the New Year and told her how those young men who met in the mountains helped her.
A few days later, when it got a little warmer, the stepmother says to her daughter:
- You too go to the mountains to pick berries; If our dirty little girl met some youngsters and were so kind to her, then they will even give you something.
The daughter dressed up better, took the basket and hurried to the mountains. She walks away cheerful and satisfied. Twelve young men meet her, and she says to them arrogantly:
- Show me where the berries grow. You showed it to our stepdaughter.
The juniors answer:
- Okay. Just guess first which month of the year is the best.
“Everyone is bad, and March is the worst,” the stepmother’s daughter answered without hesitation.
As soon as she said this, thick clouds suddenly covered the sky, and all the thunder and lightning fell on her at once. She rushed to run, and ran all the way to the house, almost giving up her breath. The young men were twelve months old.
Meanwhile, rumors spread throughout the area about the kindness and beauty of Maritsa, and one rich gentleman sent to tell his stepmother that on such and such a day he would come with his retinue to woo the girl. The stepmother became envy that such happiness fell on her stepdaughter, and not on her daughter, and, without saying a word to the orphan, she decided to marry her daughter to the master.
The appointed day has come. The unscrupulous stepmother sent her stepdaughter to sleep in the trough early. I cleaned the house, cooked dinner, dressed up my daughter and sat her down at the table with knitting. Finally the matchmakers arrived, the stepmother warmly greets them, leads them into the house and says, pointing to her daughter:
- Here is my dear stepdaughter.
But then there was a rooster, he screamed at the top of his rooster throat:
- Kukareku, beautiful Maritsa is in the trough! Kukareku, beautiful Maritsa in the trough!
The matchmakers heard a rooster crow and ordered them to bring their real stepdaughter. And when they saw her, they couldn’t take their eyes off her - she was so pretty and friendly. That same evening they took her away with them. And the evil stepmother and her daughter disgraced themselves before the whole world.
And Maritza lived happily with her husband and with her entire family until she was very old, and she died an easy death, because she was friends with the sorceress-fork and all the twelve months.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru