Colorful Spring Season

One of the four temperate seasons in accordance after the winter season and preceding summer season is the spring season. The  definition of the exact timing of “spring” depends according to local climate, cultures and customs of each country. Days are close to 12 hours long with increasing day length as the season progress during the spring equinox or March equinox. The season of springtime and spring, refer to ideas of rebirth, rejuvenation, renewal, resurrection, and regrowth.

The four seasons is defined by meteorologists in many climatic areas, as spring, summer, autumn (or fall) and winter. These are marked by boundaries by their average temperature values on a monthly basis, lasting three months with each season.  Summer is the three warmest months,  and winter is the three coldest months, and the spring and autumn (fall) is the in between gaps. Spring season,  start in different dates and in different regions when defined in this manner. While the Swedish meteorologist define the starting of spring season as the first average temperature of daytime exceeding to zero degrees Celsius for straight seven days with different dates with latitude and elevation. In most North Temperate Zone locations, in terms of complete months, the spring season comes in March, April and May, or differences exist from different country. Then the months of June, July, August is the summer season, autumn or fall is September, October, November; the next three months is the winter season which is December, January, February. However, in the South Temperate Zone wide majority areas is having contrast seasons with spring in September, October and November.

The astronomical March equinox varies between March 19 to 21 in some Northern Hemisphere regions, and mark the first day of spring, and the around June 21 is the Northern solstice, and begin as the first day of summer. In some regions, the mid-spring equinox is taken, like in South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand, spring starts on September 1, but not vernal equinox related. The start of spring has no fixed calendar dates.

Jewish Passover

Passover, or Pesach is an important Jewish festival derived from the bible, and the first Three Pilgrimage Festivals in Judaism, the other two Pilgrimage Festival is the Pentecost or Shavuot and the Tabernacles or Sukkot. Usually the Jewish Passover falls on the first full moon after the vernal equinox of Northern Hemisphere, though it occur occasionally seven times every 19th years on the second full moon.

The Christian festival and holiday especially among Eastern Orthodox they celebrate the Easter or the Pasch or Pascha celebrating the after the third day Jesus Christ died on the Cross at the Calvary, according to the New Testament. The celebration of Easter have no fixed date according to the civil calendar. The Jewish Passover is connected to the Christian’s Easter feast, by its position in the calendar and symbolism.

Easter Egg Tree, Spring Celebration in Germany

Ostereierbaum, or Easter egg tree, is a German tradition of decorating trees or bushes with colorful Easter eggs. In Saalfield, Thuringia’s tradition, one popular example is the Saalfelder Ostereierbaum (Saalfeld Easter egg tree). The Easter date depends on the weather, thus the family can start hanging eggs on the tree about four weeks before Easter, between late February and late March.

Easter Fire

Easter fires are commonly bonfires lit before, during, or after Easter Sunday as part of worldly and religious celebrations. During the solemn Easter Vigil feasts, fire can feature prominent celebrations held after Holy Saturday sunset. A Paschal candle or other candles used as symbol before or during religious celebration or mass, the fire can be used to light candles.

Bermuda Kite Festival

A Bermuda kite is an Easter tradition flown in Bermuda, as a recreational tool during spring season, usually the kits are made of an art and traditional, geometric colorful designs. Typically, the kites are hexagonal, or can may be octagonal, or have even more sides. They are constructed from flat sticks arrayed like wheel spokes or hub, with a nail at the axis. In the Bermuda British Overseas Territory, the famous historical Easter Lily for growing and exporting, and the most famous kite flying featuring the Easter celebration symbolizes the Resurrection of Jesus Christ Christ. The Easter traditional Bermuda kites are constructed by young and old Bermudians as Easter approaches, but are flown normally only during Easter. In addition to Bermuda traditional Easter celebration, the hot cross buns, fish cakes and Easter eggs, are the Bermudians traditional Easter food.

Kite Festival (Vasanta Ritu) India

Vasant also known as Basant Panchami in Harvana and Punjab, commonly celebrated in Ferozepur border city as Kite Festival, representing the advent of spring. The kite festival is celebrated with activities and festivity marking the end of the winters. Kite festival is one of the first festivals celebrated of the Year all over India. People in India get up early in the morning on the Vasant Pachami day, take bath and worship Mother Ganga, the sun, and the Deity of the sacred river Ganges, and the earth, where men and women of all ages wear yellow clothes, which the color yellow is a sign of auspiciousness and spirituality, and representing the ripening of the spring crops. One of the six ritus (seasons)  Vasanta (green season) or Basant is one having the same to spring, also short for Vasanta Panchami (on the fifth day), a festival in India celebrated annually on the 5th day of the Hindu month Magh (January to February), and the first day of spring  (January to February) or known as Vasant Rutu Hirawa in Marathi. Most Indian festivals have cultural and religious importance, that vary and depend on the specific traditions and culture, and oftentimes celebrated in some forms by non-Hindus. Other festivals celebrated in India include Holi, Diwali, Raksha, Bandhan and Basant festival.  

Holi Festival, India Spring Festival

India’s religious spring festival also known as Holi celebrated by Hindus as a festival of colors, observed primarily in India and Nepal, Hindus minority in Bangladesh and Pakistan, as well in countries with vast populations of Indic diaspora following Hinduism such in Malaysia, Suriname, Guyana, South Africa Trinidad and Tobago, Fiji, Mauritius, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The Phagwah Festival of Colors is normally celebrated also in Trinidad and Tobago on the Sunday closest to the Phagwa actual date. It is commonly celebrated with variants of colors and splendor along with the singing on traditional Chowtaal or Phagwa songs. Holi is also known as Phagwah Festival of Colors, or Doḷajātra (Oriva) in Odisha, and as Dol Jatra (Bengali term) or Basantotsav (“spring festival“).

Bihu Festival (Spring Harvest Festival in India)

The cattle worship rites known as the goru bihu are celebrated on the last day of the year. The cattle are washed, smeared with ground turmeric and other pastes, struck with dighalati sprigs and makhiyati and attract attention to be healthy and productive. The cattle’s old ropes are cast away through the legs and new ropes are tied to them, and the cattle are allowed to roam around freely wherever they wished for the whole day.

In mid-April, the Rongali Bihu also known as Bohag Bihu, is the most popular Bihu celebration, and the beginning of the Assamese New Year and the coming of Spring around April 14 to 15. This marks the Hindu solar calendar first day and is also observed in Mithila,Bengal, Manipur, Nepal, Orissa, Punjab, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, although called by variant names. The Bihu feasts is the time of merriment and feasting continues, for seven days. There are three Bihu festivals in Assam in a year, in the mid-April is the Baisakh,  months of Bohaag, in mid-January or Maagh, and Kaati or Kartik, the mid-October. A distinctive phase in the farming calendar coincides with each Bihu celebration. The Spring festival “Bohag Bihu” or Rongali Bihu celebrated in mid-April, is the most important and colorful among the Bihu festivals, and the beginning of the agricultural season. Among the Seven Bihus, the  Rongali Bihu also called Xaat Bihu celebrates seven days, where its name was derived. The Rangali Bihu is composed of seven different types of Bihu, the Goru Bihu or the Cow bihu (first day to pay respect to cows), Manuh Bihu, Hat Bihu, Senehi Bihu, Maiki Bihu, Rongali Bihu and Sera Bihu. .Actually first day for to pay respect to cows and other days for social activities.(2012 by nabajit deka).

Walpurgis Spring Festival

In large parts of Central and Northern Europe, the traditional spring festival popularly known as the Walpurgis Night (Walpurgisnacht) celebrated on April 30 or May 1, observed with bonfires and dancing, six months exact from All Hallow’s Eve. In the western parts of Sweden, The bonfires, had been observed and celebrated since the 18th century, in the western parts of Sweden, and been lit during Holy Saturday. The traditional bonfires is claimed to have originated in Holland, however, the bonfires have been moved in many places to Walpurgis Night, during he last decades as this is the traditional bonfire dates in other parts of the country.

West Asia March Equinox: Nowruz Spring Festival in Iran (Persia)

Different calendars including the Iranian calendar, marks the first day of the Northward equinox, thus in the Iranian Calendar they celebrate Iranian New Year festival popularly known as the Nowruz observed in March 20 or March 21, which is the first day of spring season.  Jamshid, the king of Persia in Persian mythology, ascended to the throne on this day and each year this is celebrated with feasts and activities for two weeks. The Nowruz holiday is also celebrated in Albania, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkey, and Zanzibar and other parts of Central Asia such as the Kurds. Also observed and a sacred day for Baha’i Faith followers and the Nizari Ismaili Muslims as a Zoroastrian holiday. The date of celebration of the Bahá’í Naw-rúz is permanent, the new year always starts on March 20 sunset . The Iranian people begin with cleaning their homes early in the morning as a Nowruz traditional custom, called as ‘spring clean’, and being observed few days before the feast day.

During the Persian New Year a traditional Nowruz herald known as Hājji Firuz or Hajji Piruz, he supervise the New Year celebrations, perhaps as a a remaining , usually small part of the ancient Zoroastrian fire-keeper. Hajji Firuz’s  face is covered in carbon and dressed in bright red clothes and a felt hat. Hajji Firuz plays a tambourine and sings “Hāji Firuz-e, sal-i-ye ruz-e” , which means, “It is Hāji Firuz time, It happens one day in a year”, while he usher in the Nowruz feast. People of Iran, young and old, gather around him and his musician’s company and listen to them play the saz, kamancheh, drum,tambourines and trumpets, while dancing through the streets with spreading good cheer and the news of the coming New Year or Nowruz.

Haft-Seen or the seven ‘S’s is a traditional Nowruz table setting during the Iranian spring celebration. The haft seen table setting includes seven items starting in the Persian Alphabet with the letter seen. The original name of Haft-Seen was Haftchin (Haftĉin) derived from the words Chin, which means “gather, pile up” and Haft, the number 7. The Haft Chin table contain the seven items which symbolize Zoroastrian vazatas or divinities such as atar and asman. The “Haft Chin” seven items are: mirror, symbolizes Sky, Apple symbolizing Earth, Candles symbolizes Fire, Golab rose water symbolizes Water, Sabzeh wheat or barley sprouts symbolizes Plants, Goldfish symbolizes Animals and Painted Eggs symbolizes Humans and Fertility.

Imbolc Spring Festival

Imbolc or Imbolg also known as the Saint Brighid’s Day marking the beginning of the spring, and is a Gaelic festival, usually held on January 31 to February1, or sometimes halfway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. The Imbolc festival is one of the four Gaelic seasonal festivals, along with the Samhain, Beltane and Lughnasadh, which is observed in Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man. In the same time of year in some Celtic lands, the Kindred festivals were held, for instance the Gŵyl Fair y Canhwyllau, or “Mary’s Festival of the Candles“, is a Welsh name of Candlemas celebrated on February 2, and the Welsh similar of the Goidelic holiday of Imbolc. The traditional beginning of spring in Ireland, starts on February 1,  and known as St Brigid’s Day,though the Irish meteorologists consider the month of February to be part of winter.

May Day Spring Festival

The ancient Northern Hemisphere spring festival, and commonly become a public holiday celebrated on May 1, is called the May Day festival, also in many cultures it is a traditional spring holiday. The feast of May Day is related to the Beltane Celtic festival and the Walpurgis Night, a Germanic festival. The May Day festival falls exactly half a year from November 1, another cross-quarter day which is related with various pagan beliefs in northern European and the Northern hemisphere year, and it has been a popular noisy and rough celebrations, a traditional occasion.

Beltane Festival Spring Festival

The yearly art events and ritual drama where anyone can participate held on April 30 on Calton Hill in Edinburg, South East Scotland is known as the popular Beltane Fire Festival, inspired by the ancient Beltane Gaelic festival that began before May 1st eve amrking the beginning of summer and linked with similarity somewhere in Europe as the Welsh Calan Mai or the Germanic Walpurgis Night. The Beltane or Beltain is the festival held on May 1 or a Goidelic name for the month of May. In Irish it is known as Bealtaine, in Scottish Gaelic it is called Bealtainn and in Manx Gaelic it is called as Boaltinn or Boaldyn. The leading terminal dates during the civil year in medieval Ireland was called the Beltane and the Samhain a recent important festival. The Beltane spring festival is a cross-quarter day, that marked the Sun‘s midpoint and progress between the summer solstice and the and the spring equinox, and the date for astronomical for this midpoint is near to May 5 or May 7, but this date can change every year.

Burning Man

The week-long yearly event held in the Black Rock Desert in northern Nevada, in United States, is popularly known as the Burning Man. This happy event starts in August, on the last Monday, and the said event will last in September on the first Monday, that coincides with the American Labor Day. The Burning Man Festival of 2012, took place between August 27 and September 3, deriving its name from the burning ritual of a large wooden effigy on Saturday evening.

Tết, or Vietnamese New Year

The popular Vietnamese New Year or Vietnamese language, Tết Nguyên Đán, more commonly known by its shortened name Tết, is the most important and popular Vietnam holiday and festival, marking the coming of spring season, based on the lunisolar calendar or Chinese calendar. The Vietnamese consider Tết to be the first day of spring, a spring festival often called Hội xuân, held from the first day of the Lunar calendar’s first month (around late January or early February) until sometimes, the third day. Majority of the Vietnamese, prepare special holiday cuisine for Tết holiday and cleaning the house. Various customs practiced during Tết, such as visiting a friend or relative’s house on the New Year’s first day (xông nhà), ancestral worshiping, New Year’s greetings to every person they meet, opening  shop, giving lucky money to children and elderly people, and gift giving to some people.

Sinhalese New Year and Hindu New Year

Sinhalese New Year, or most popularly known as Aluth Avurudda is the new year celebration among the Sinhalese people in Sri Lanka, the most important event not only among the Sinhalese people bu to all the Sr Lankans and a public holiday. The Sinhalese New Year which was celebrated on April 13 and 14th,coincides with many traditional calendars of the South and Southeast Asia, and have similar holiday to the Tamil New Year, Thai New Year, Bengali New Year and the Oriya New Year day in India.The Sinhalese New Year marks the end of spring and the season for harvest. The traditional milk rice or Kiribath is a traditional Sri Lankan breakfast dish that should be served on the first day of each month and important dish during the Sinhalese New Year. The cooked Kiribath is served after the dawn of the new year serving as the first meal.

The mating season of the Asian Koel is a type of cuckoo,coincides with the Sinhala new year celebrations in traditional literature involving the festival. The male Asian Koel’s mating singing call Koo-ooo, is heard over the Sr Lanka is regarded as a proclaiming sign of the traditional new year, spans from March to August. In Si Lanka’s Sinhala language the Asian Koel is called the Koha.

Groundhog Day

The Groundhog Day, in Pennsylvania German is known as Grundsaudaag, Murmeltiertag which is celebrated on February 2 annually.  According to Pennsylvanian folklore, when a groundhog, emerges from it’s burrow, if it is cloudy, then the spring season will come early, but  if it is sunny, soon the groundhog will see its shadow and go back inside its burrow, then the winter, continue for six more weeks.

In Germany, a celebration similar to Groundhog Day, observed on June 27 is celebrated as Seven Sleepers Day or  “Siebenschläfertag“, which the German’s belief that if that day rains, the rest of summer is going to be rainy. It also refers to the Glis Glis or  Siebenschläfer squirrel, also known as the “edible dormouse”, commemorating the Seven Sleepers which the actual date of celebration is on July 25th.

The date February 2 in Alaska is observed as Marmot Day, rather than Groundhog Day because, there are more marmot inhabitants in alaska than the groundhogs that exist in the state.

 On July 15 is known as The St. Swithun’s day in the United Kingdom, the traditional belief that if it rain that day, it will rain for the next 40 days and nights. The historical importance as a bishop of St. Swithun or Swithin is to be more important or significant by comparison by his reputation for continuing working miracle. According to traditional belief, if the weather on July 15, which is St. Swithun’s feast day, will the rain will continue to pour down for forty days. The Swithin’s name precise meaning and origin is unknown, however it is widely  known as the ‘Pig Man‘ which means “strong”.

Spring in Japan

The Japanese season or Kigo is a word or phrase related with a particular season commonly used in Japanese poetry,  also used in the combined linked-verse forms renga (two ku or stanzas), and renku (linked verse), as well as in haiku (no separate plural forms),indicating the season referred to in the stanza, which is very important in providing economy of expression. The kigo (season) of Spring (haru), and other combinations such as spring begins (Haru tatsu), signs of spring (haru meku), sea in the spring (haru no umi), spring is gone (Yuku haru), Higan of spring or haru higan, in literature written as beyond the border of this world, a week around the time of the Shunbun or  Spring Equinox is a Buddhists period to set aside to “calm” the souls of their ancestors and for visiting graves, and this will occur again during the Higan of autumn, months of Kisaragi or Nigatsu (February), Yayoi or Sangatsu (March) and Uzuki or Shigatsu (April). In the Japanese calendar, the Shigatsu or fourth month is equivalent to April in the Gregorian calendar. Therefore end of March or Yayoijin is equivalent to haru no hate or end of spring. The all spring season is atatakashi or nurumu or warm, and as the weather changes from the cold of winter, any warming is noticed, such in water, also becomes mizu nurumu or warm . The kasumi or all spring, the Spring mist or  the daytime spring haze is visible. The nighttime haze during spring that can not clearly see the moon is called oboro. The first strong southerly wind of spring, or Haruichiban is used as a kigo in modern haiku.

When spring begins, the flowering and blooming of the sakura or cherry blossom viewing or known in Japanese as (hanami) starts in the late spring (April), an event for friends and coworkers to party or picnic with family. The sakura or cherry blossoms for the Japanese, are such a common topic that in just mentioning hana or  blossoms in haiku it is assumed they are cherry blossoms.

Hanami outside Japan

The International Cherry Blossom Festival is held in Macon, Georgia every spring. The Macon is known as the “Cherry Blossom Capital of the World,” where friends, relatives and family gather and enjoy the picnic.

Ume Blossoms

In early spring the Ume (Plum blossom) starts to blossom.

In early spring, the bird Uguisu (Japanese bush warbler) or sometimes called as Japanese nightingale (Cettia diphone) sings a sweet sound. Uguisu were mentioned in the Kokinshu preface, is commonly associated with the ume blossoms and the waka, a new growth in early Japanese and is regarded as a harutsugedori or harbinger of spring, in literature writing, the “bird that announces the arrival of spring”.

On March 3, as the spring starts, the Hinamatsuri Doll Festival (Girl’s Day) and the Hina (doll), is a traditional festival for girls.

Spring in Korea

The spring in the Korean Peninsula marks with the arrival of the migratory birds from the south commonly called the, swallow, and the blooming of cherry blossoms occurring in the last part of March or early April. The spring starts in the mid-April in Korea’s central part, and in the north occur in the last part of April. By April, when melting down sets in, and streams swell as ice breaks up, and spring rain comes in drizzles, and during the months of March, April and May, the rainfall can increase gradually,but it is more than enough for preparing seedbeds for rice, sowing spring vegetables, and planting summer crops such as barley and soybeans. And as the summer approaches, the spring winds can be in different direction,and can be more gusty and dusty winds from the northwest,moist air-streams that begin to blow from the south.Spring is quite short, than the usual shorter of more than two months,which is April and May,especially in Korea’s northern part. The trees will turn yellow in early spring, while the village will be filled with trees full of fruits in red fruits during the autumn. During the Korean spring festival, tourists and visitors can participate and enjoy the traditional folk games, watching the Sansuyu flower parade.

Spring in Jeju Island

The shield volcano and the highest mountain in Jeju Island of South Korea is called the Hallasan or Halla mountain.

Spring Festival in China

The most important event and festival among the Chinese people is the Spring Festival, where all family members get together, just like how the Western people celebrate Christmas. The Plum Blossom flower symbolizes ” good luck” in Chinese belief,  while the Narcissus flower symbolizes “prosperity”, Sunflowers symbolizes “have a good year ahead”, bamboo symbolizes “a plant used for any time of year”, eggplant symbolizes “a plant to heal all of your sickness”,

Spring Season Flowering Plant

The season for the California poppies flowering intense blooming falls usually within the late winter to early spring, during the mid of February months through mid of May. The poppies blooming seasons depends on the rainfall amount during the winter to early spring seasons.

Tulips

The perennial, bulbous plant with showy flowers with more than 109 species, in the genus Tulipa is called the tulip. The tulips that grow from bulbs are spring blooming perennials plants.

Migratory Birds during Spring

Bird migration is the common and regular seasonal movement, often north and south along a flyway between breeding and wintering grounds, done by different species of birds. The migration, of birds and animals, usually carries high numbers in predation and mortality, including from human hunting, or driven away primarily by the availability of food.

The Common Starling birds, is a highly loving others company species, especially during autumn and winter, with great flock size, with huge, noisy flocks may form near roosts or a perch upon which birds or fowls rest at night. Before te sunset in spring, Huge flocks of more than a million Common Starlings may be observed in the southwestern Jutland, Denmark over the Tonder between Ribe and Esbjerg towns marslands seaward. The Common Starling flocks gather in March until northern Scandinavian birds leave for their breeding season that begins in mid-April.

Insect Migration

Monarchs species of butterflies are especially noted for their long yearly migration. In North America, The Monarchs butterflies, make massive migrations southward beginning in August until the first frost of winter, while in spring, the migration is northward. The population of Monarch migration when overwintered of those east of the Rockies can reach Texas far north and in Oklahoma during the spring migration. Then the second, third and fourth generations return in the spring, to their northern locations in the United States and Canada after the breeding season.

The phenomenon butterflies or moths migration population, known as the Lepidoptera migration over long distance places or areas where they cannot settle for long period of time. The migratory butterfly or moth does not indicate a taxonomic group of species within the Lepidoptera, or also used for all species from the variant families included that migrate.