Spring is finally here everyone! Finally, we can trade off our heavy jackets for short-sleeved shirts! We can trade our boots for sneakers! While the change in weather has brought a new burst of positivity to our moods, spring is also the time for many cultural celebrations. As someone who enjoys learning about different cultures, I find diversity is what makes life interesting. Here are some of the different celebrations different cultures celebrate during the season of spring:
Hanami:
Hanami is the Japanese cherry blossom festival. This festival takes place at different times in the year, but the most popular time to experience this festival is in April. The other time this festival occurs is in January and March. The cherry blossom itself symbolizes a time for renewal, fragility, and the elegance of life. Hanami, in Japanese, means viewing cherry blossoms. This festival celebrates the beauty of nature. Foods that are made are Hanami Bento, fried and grilled dishes, tsukemono salads, miso soup, and sweet cherry blossom party food. Traditionally, to celebrate, many people watch live performances, take part in a tea ceremony underneath the trees, and paper lanterns are hung up on the trees which are called yozakura, or night sakura. People also gather together and have picnics, and even bring along karaoke machines at night to party hard!
Navroz:
Nawruz or Navroz is celebrated on the 20th and 21st of March. This celebration marks the Persian New Year and celebrates the renewal, peace, and solidarity of the family. In the Persian language, Navroz means New Day. It is celebrated in Iran, Afghanistan, Turkey, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, across Central Asia, and by other Muslims worldwide. To celebrate, people clean their houses, wear traditional clothes, exchange gifts and gather together. People also set up a Haftseen table, meaning the lucky number seven in Farsi. On this table, people put goldfish, wheatgrass, eggs, a book, a candle, a mirror, a clock, and a coin. I would also like to mention, depending on where people come from, Navroz can be celebrated differently. In some parts of the world, people celebrate with music and lots of dancing. Traditional foods that are made on this occasion include, sweetened rice pudding, dates and pastries, rose milk and ice cream, and many others. Regardless, this celebration is a blast! People will also say Nazroz Mubarak, meaning Happy New Year!
SongKran Water Festival:
The Songkran water festival is celebrated in Thailand. It is celebrated between April 13th-15th. This festival marks the beginning of the Buddhist New Year. During this festival, streets are packed with trucks throwing water at the tourists and people on the street. People also throw water at each other and bathe the Budhha images. There is also a lot of cultural performances, celebrations, and street food that pack the streets at night. This festival is also perfect for the hot temperatures and is perfect for anyone who enjoys a good party!
Floriade:
This is celebrated in Australia and is a month-long celebration that takes place from September to mid-October. This is because, in Australia, spring takes place from September to November. During the Floriade celebration in Canberra’s Commonwealth Park, it is filled with flower displays, sculptures, and other artistic features. You also will not miss seeing any gnome decorations as they are everywhere! Floriade, in Latin, means flowers. A cool fact about this festival is because of COVID-19, 1 million bulbs were arranged in the park to mark the celebration due to public measures!
Martenitsa:
This is an ancient Bulgarian tradition that starts on March first and also connects to the arrival of Spring. Martenitsa, in the Bulgarian language, means March. It comes from an old folk tale about an old lady named Baba Marta whose mood depends on the weather. For instance, on sunny days, she is happy, but on rainy days, her mood is gloomy. The Martenitsa is a bracelet that is made of white and red yarn, in the form of two dolls, a white male and a red female. People gift these to one another to wish each other good luck, health, and fertility. Once people sight the first Stork bird, they then tie their bracelet to a tree for a good harvest or down the river in hopes for the best possible outcomes in the coming harvest year.
These are just a few of the cool spring traditions in different countries people do to celebrate spring! I hope you are in more awe of the rainbow of different cultures that surround us in our day-to-day lives! If you could pick any of these to celebrate, which one would you choose?