Katy Trefry Photography
Spring is considered a time of new birth, new beginnings and longer daylight. All over the world, spring is a time of celebration. Locally my favorite spring traditions are free Ritas Italian ice and making time to hangout outside, but all over the world cultures celebrate the coming of new beginnings in different ways. As spring surfaces to drive out the last gloomy traces of winter, we can finally start to look forward to sunnier days. Part of the beauty of spring’s arrival is how differently its celebrated around the world. Every country has its own unique way of welcoming the new season, be it through a festival, parade, or communal meal. I compiled some of my favorite spring traditions from all over the world.
I start with my Indian culture and the COLORFUL holiday of ‘Holi’. Holi is undoubtedly one of the most colorful festivals in the world, Holi is celebrated by Hindus across India. It involves throwing colored powder at one another, which pays tribute to the many hues of the spring season as well as events from Hindu mythology. Usually lasting a full day and night, the festival is a gloriously colorful and happy celebration of the end of winter and the spring growing season. It can, however, get quite crazy, so be prepared to not only be sprayed with color, but water, eggs and even tomatoes! Holi is one of my favorite holidays to celebrate and it is always filled with laughter, friendships and color soaked clothing and faces. They also burn wood and dung cakes to symbolize the triumph of good over evil.
In Mexico each year, thousands of people, traditionally dressed in white, gather at the enormous Teotihuacán Pyramid, located around 30 miles northeast of Mexico City, to celebrate the spring equinox. Taking place on either the 20th or 21st of March annually, many celebrants use the morning to climb the 360 steps to the top of the Pyramid to get closer to portals of energy. By raising their arms towards the sky and basking in the sun’s warmth, they “soak up” energy for the year.
In Thailand there is the Songkran Water Festival. This annual festival takes place shortly after the spring equinox. Songkran stems from the Sanskrit word for “astrological passage” and is celebrated within Thailand as New Year’s Day. Festivities involve going to a Buddhist monastery, visiting elders, and, of course, throwing water. The northern capital of Chiang Mai is the setting for the biggest celebrations, with festivities lasting up to six days. People equipped with cannon-sized water guns, pressure hoses and buckets are ready to drench anyone in their path. Children, adults, and the elderly take part in the tradition, dancing in the streets to loud music and embracing the spring solstice.
Cimburijada, which translates to “Festival of Scrambled Eggs,” celebrates the first day of spring in the Bosnian town of Zenica. At the crack of dawn, people gather by the banks of the Bosna river, where a communal meal of scrambled eggs is prepared. As the egg symbolizes birth and the new growth of spring. Together, people share their breakfast eggs with friends, families, and visitors while drinking and listening to music together to mark the first day of spring.
Katy Trefry Photography
In Central Asia and the middle east there is the holiday Nowruz which means No (new) and rouz (day). Celebrated as the first day of the first month of the Iranian calendar and coinciding with the spring equinox (usually around March 21st), this “new day” symbolizes new life, new beginnings, and the rebirth of nature. It is a celebration of rebirth and has its roots in the ancient religion of Zoroastrianism, which was founded over three thousand years ago. While it differs country to country, the multi-day celebration often starts with people cleaning their homes but quickly escalates into a multi-day festival of bonfires, costumes, and family remembrance, until the 13th day of the New Year when everybody leaves their homes and joins friends and family members outside for music, dancing, and food in the cities’ public spaces. In China people play the egg standing game, where anyone who can get an egg to stand upright at this time is said to bring good luck upon themselves. This game is said to have been played at the time of the spring equinox in China for over 4,000 years. On the spring equinox, or Shunbun no Hi as it is called in Japan, Japanese people visit the graves of family members and they replace the flowers around the burial sites, clean the graves and leave offerings of incense to console ancestral spirits. The festival goes on for a week and during this time there are lots of family gatherings where everyone tucks into botamochi, a sweet mashed rice ball wrapped with azuki bean paste.
In Belarus the spring equinox symbolizes the arrival of spring to the country and the return of birds to their homeland. To welcome their winged friends back Belarusians decorate trees with ribbons and paper birds. They also bake bread formed in the shape of birds and then take them outside and throw them up into the air.
Legend has it that in ancient Italy on the day of the spring equinox women went to the Gardens of Adonis and planted seeds to symbolize new growth and rebirth. This custom still lives on in the southern Italian island of Sicily. Here women plant pots and baskets with seeds of grains, vegetables and flowers. When they start to grow they then tie the stalks with red ribbons and put them on graves on Good Friday to show that life will always win over death.
Spring is magical – filled with vibrant color, texture, floral aromas, and beautiful scenery. Life begins to reemerge, and the world begins to bloom. Spring signifies new beginnings. It is a lovely reminder of how beautiful change can truly be.
However you decide to welcome spring, remember that spring is a time of new beginnings. Try something new this season.
The sights, smells, and sounds of the outside make me want to take my coffee out on the stone terrace and experience the magic of all the new beginnings. Spring is definitely my favorite season. After being inside for the last few months and bundled up against the cold, I am thrilled to go outside and enjoy nature.
Timbrel Chyatee
Timbrel is an entrepreneur that is passionate about culture, empowerment and inspiring the world to live better. She is the founder of The Cultured Workshop a workshop focusing on educating individuals in culture and community. She is also the lead designer and founder of Lush Bazaar a sustainably made, into-fusion fashion label. Timbrel is an avid explorer, writer and connoisseur of teas. Her mission in life is simple, inspire one another to create a world of empowerment and acceptance for all. Follow more from Timbrel at: @Cultured.Workshop | @Timbrel.Chyatee | timbrelchyatee.com | culturedworkshop.com
