As January is coming to an end, we have only one month of winter left so why not start looking forward for spring?
Spring is the awesome season in which everything comes back to life so here are 10 spring traditions you probably did not even know existed.
These traditions are gathered from all around the globe and they provide an inside view of how people celebrate the arrival of spring world-wide. There are many ways of celebration in different cultures so be prepared to find out some pretty cool stuff about what other nations do for fun.
Ready? Here we go!
1. The water Festival in Thailand
The water festival known as The Songkran festival in Thailand marks the New Year’s Day in the Thai culture and it is celebrated between the 13th and the 15th of April. During this festival, people engage in water fights all around the country as water is seen as a cleansing method of all the bad things which happened during the previous year.
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2. Holi Festival in India
The Holi festival in India is also known as the festival of love or of colors and the date of it varies every year according to the Hindu calendar. It typically takes place in March and it is set for the 6th of March in 2015. Holi can be observed among people of Hindu religion but it has started to spread in other parts of the world as well and it symbolizes many things from the end of winter and the start of spring to the victory of good over evil and a way for people to meet other people and have fun while throwing colored powder at each other.
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3. Qingming Festival in China
The Qingming festival is a Chinese festival which takes place every year on either the 4th or the 5th of April, 15 days after the spring equinox. In translation, quinming can mean pure brightness or clear and bright and this festival tries to make people go outside and enjoy the greenness of spring. Quingming festival is also tied to ancestor veneration so people go to the graves of their ancestors and bring those drinks and food as offers.
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4. Easter Egg Roll, White House, U.S.
The White House Easter egg roll takes place every year on Easter Monday and it allows people from all across the United States to participate if they enter the ticket lottery. This year, the event will take place on the 6th of April and it will include many indoors as well as outdoors activities for all ages.
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5. Nowruz in Persia
The Nowruz festival in Persia marks the Persian New Year’s day and it literally translate into (The) New Day. Nowruz takes place every year on the first day of spring in the Persian calendar. However, each year, astronomers calculate the exact time and date when night and day are equalized by the sun’s crossing of the celestial equator and many people from different religious backgrounds gather to see the astronomic show. The festival usually takes place on the 21st of March.
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6. The Floriade in Australia
Although Floriade is a spring festival, it is celebrated in September and October, as the Australian spring comes at a different time than in the U.S. As the name suggests, Floriade is an Australian festival which is actually a big floral display and it has been celebrated since 1988.
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7. Cooper’s Hill Cheese Rolling and Wake in Gloucester, England
The British are coming! And they’re bringing… cheese?! An unusual event takes place every year in the city of Gloucester, England on the Spring Bank Holiday. This festival is actually a racing game as blocks of cheese are rolled down the Cooper’s Hill while the competitors start chasing after it. The first one to catch the cheese or cross the finish line wins the prize: CHEESE!
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8. Maslenitsa in Russia
Maslenitsa is a traditional Russian festival which translates into Pancake week. Although the festival may sound harmless, as it involves some delicious bliny – the name for Russian crepes or pancakes, as it is Russia we are talking about you will also find performing bears, fist fighting and sled rides. Pretty cool, huh?
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9. Cimburijada in Bosnia
Cimburijada or the festival of scrambled eggs is a Bosnian traditional festival which involves, as you might have guessed already, scrambled eggs! During the first day of spring, the inhabitants of the Bosnian town of Zenica gather around Bosna River and start making scrambled egg sandwiches. The festival is a great way of meeting new people, spending quality time with your neighbors and eating eggs. Lots of eggs.
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10. The Foire de Paris in France
The Foire de Paris is actually a huge design exhibition which takes place every year in the French capital in April and May. Anyone who is interested in seeing some of the latest French inventions or what is new in terms of interior design should consider visiting this great French spring festival.
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Do you celebrate any spring traditions in your culture?
