🇮🇳 India
Holi celebrates the arrival of spring on the full moon of Phalguna with bonfires the night before, then coloured powder, water and sweets. It also recalls the story of Prahlad and Holika.
Read: HoliSpring and renewal
When the days lengthen and the ground softens, people around the world celebrate.
Presented by ClearTrust Free for the curious, the homesick and the hosts.
When the days lengthen and the ground softens, people around the world celebrate. Spring festivals welcome the return of green, flowers, light and the farming year, and they are among the most colourful of all. Holi throws powders of every colour, Nowruz sets a table with sprouts, Easter brings eggs and lilies, Hanami gathers friends under cherry blossom, May Day crowns a queen and dances around a pole, Songkran splashes water. Each has its own story, but all are about new life. Here is how different cultures greet the spring and what the customs mean to those who keep them.
What it is for
Spring marks the end of the cold, the return of growth and the start of sowing, and festivals ask for fertility and a good year. The mood is playful, as people have long stored up energy through winter and enjoy letting it out. Many spring festivals are also times for cleansing and forgiveness, as in Holi and Easter, and for renewal of promises and friendships. They remind people of nature's cycle and of their place in it, and offer a chance to be outdoors together again after the long indoor season.
Common elements across cultures
Flowers, green branches and sprouted grain decorate houses and towns. Fires and water play a role: bonfires to burn winter, water to cleanse and bless. Eggs, seeds and young animals symbolise new life, and people clean their homes, put on new clothes and visit family. Public gatherings include processions, dances around a pole or fire, and games. Many cultures hold a market of seedlings or a plant exchange, and farmers bless the fields. Dates are often tied to the equinox or the first full moon after it.
Food, dress and music
Spring foods are fresh: sprouts, young greens, herbs, lamb, eggs, honey, new dairy and sweets such as gujiya, hot cross buns and simnel cake. Dress is light and bright: white at Holi, new clothes for Nowruz, floral wreaths for May Day and kimono for hanami picnics. Music is lively, with folk songs of the season, drums and pipes. Dance is common, from the maypole and the Morris dance of England to the Holi folk songs of Braj and the stick dances of the Balkans.
How it is changing
Holi and Easter egg hunts have spread far beyond their original homes, and cherry blossom forecasts are followed by millions. Climate change has shifted the timing of blossoms and plantings, and some festivals now keep an eye on the weather as much as the calendar. Cities organise parades, flower shows and markets, and many families keep the home customs of cleaning and cooking. Spring remains a gentle and hopeful festival time, with interest in local food and gardening growing across the world.
Spring and renewal around the world
🇳🇵 Nepal
Fagu Purnima is celebrated with colours in the hills, and the Bisket Jatra in Bhaktapur marks the Nepali new year in April with a chariot procession and the raising of a pole. Water balloons and coloured powder are thrown, and sweets are shared on the streets.
Read: Biska Jatra🇮🇷 Iran
Nowruz has the haft-sin table set with sprouted wheat, sumac, garlic, apples, vinegar, coins and a hyacinth, and Persian families jump over a fire at Chaharshanbe Suri, saying "give me your red, take my yellow". On the thirteenth day of Nowruz, families spend the day outdoors and throw their sprouts into running water.
Read: Haft-sin🇯🇵 Japan
Hanami, flower viewing, sees friends and families picnic beneath the cherry blossoms in March and April, and parks fill with blue tarpaulins, food and sake. The brief blossom reminds people of the fleeting nature of life.
Read: Hanami🇨🇳 China
The Qingming Festival combines tomb sweeping with outings in the new spring, kite flying and eating green rice dumplings. The Lantern Festival ends the new year.
Read: Qingming Festival🇰🇷 Korea
Cherry blossom festivals in Jinhae, azalea flower pancakes, hwajeon, on the third day of the third lunar month and kite flying on Lunar New Year are among the spring traditions. People in Seoul also gather in the parks of Yeouido to view cherry blossoms along the Han River.
Jinhae Gunhangje Festival, being writtenTraditions to start with
Questions people ask
Why are eggs a symbol of spring?
An egg contains new life and has been a symbol of rebirth in many cultures, from ancient Persia to Christian Easter. Eggs are painted, hidden, cracked and eaten at spring festivals.
Why does Holi use colours?
Colours celebrate spring's flowers, the playful love of Krishna and Radha and the joy of equality, as everyone is coloured alike. The festival is also a time to forgive.
What is the haft-sin table?
The Persian new year table with seven items beginning with the letter sin, such as sprouts, apples and garlic, each symbolising an aspect of life like health, beauty or patience.
Is spring in March everywhere?
Only in the northern hemisphere, and the date depends on the calendar. In the southern hemisphere, spring starts in September, and in the tropics the seasons follow rains rather than temperature.
What is a maypole?
A tall pole, decorated with flowers and ribbons, around which dancers weave in a pattern on May Day. It is a custom found in many parts of Europe.
About this page
Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.
Spring and renewal on EveryParampara
The traditions written up so far, best known first.
RegionSouth AsiaSoutheast AsiaEast AsiaCentral Asia and the CaucasusMiddle EastNorth AfricaSub-Saharan AfricaEuropeNorth AmericaLatin America and the CaribbeanOceania
🇺🇸 United States and 5 moreMother's Day
A worldwide annual celebration dedicated to mothers, maternal bonds and family careHome
🇮🇷 Iran and 7 moreNowruzنوروز
The Iranian new year at the March equinox, kept with fire, greenery and picnicsSeasonal
🇮🇳 Mathura, India and 5 moreHoliहोली (Hindi)
A spring festival of colours and bonfires that marks the end of winter and the triumph of good over evil.Festival
🇫🇷 France and 5 moreCandlemas
A Christian feast of candle blessings marking the end of the Christmas seasonSpiritual
🇪🇸 Spain and 5 moreArbor Day
An annual secular observance dedicated to planting and caring for trees around the worldCeremony
🇮🇳 Jammu, IndiaBhangra
A Punjabi harvest dance, first kept by farmers and now performed worldwidePerformance
🇩🇪 Germany and 1 moreMaifest
A traditional German celebration marking the arrival of spring with decorated maypolesFestival
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 5 moreMorris dance
A rhythmic English folk dance performed in costume with bells, sticks and handkerchiefsPerformance
🇮🇳 IndiaIndian national calendar
India's official civil solar calendar, designed to bring unity to timekeepingSeasonal
🇬🇧 London, United KingdomChelsea Flower Show
A five-day May horticultural festival held in London by the Royal Horticultural SocietyFestival
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 5 moreApril Fools' Day
An annual day of lighthearted pranks, hoaxes and teasing kept on the first of AprilFestival
🇺🇸 United States and 1 moreSaint Patrick's Day in the United States
An annual celebration of Irish heritage across America with parades, feasts and green dyeFestival · Dinner
🇮🇪 Ireland and 1 moreImbolcLá Fhéile Bríde
A Gaelic festival heralding spring and honoring Saint Brigid with woven rush crossesSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals
🇨🇳 China and 5 moreQingming Festival清明节
A spring custom of sweeping family graves and honouring ancestors across East Asia.Spiritual
🇮🇳 Ayodhya, India and 5 moreRama Navamiराम नवमी
A Hindu spring festival marking the birth of Rama with prayer, fasting and processionsFestival
🇺🇸 Punxsutawney, United States and 1 moreGroundhog DayGrund'sau dåk
A February ritual where communities watch a groundhog emerge to predict the length of winter.Festival
🇧🇹 Bhutan and 4 moreLosarལོ་གསར་
The Tibetan Buddhist New Year festival of renewal, offerings, and family feastsSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals
🇮🇷 Isfahan, Iran and 4 moreChaharshanbe Suriچهارشنبهسوری
An Iranian festival of fire and renewal celebrated on the eve of the final Wednesday before spring.Festival · Tea-time and snacking customs
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreUgadiఉగాది
A South Indian New Year feast celebrating life with sweet, sour, and bitter tastesSeasonal
🇮🇪 Dublin, Ireland and 3 moreMay Day
A traditional European festival welcoming summer with greenery, dances and bonfiresSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals
🇯🇵 JapanChildren's Dayこどもの日
A Japanese holiday on May fifth celebrating the happiness and growth of childrenFestival
🇷🇴 Romania and 3 moreCălușariCălușarii
An acrobatic Romanian spring dance and ritual brotherhood tied to folklore and healingPerformance
🇭🇺 Mohács, HungaryBusójárás
A six-day winter carnival of carved wooden masks, folk music, and parades in MohácsFestival
🇰🇵 Pyongyang, North KoreaDay of the Sun태양절
North Korea's principal holiday, marking the birth anniversary of Kim Il SungCeremony
🇲🇳 Mongolia and 2 moreTsagaan SarЦагаан сар
The Mongolian Lunar New Year festival of peace, elders, white foods and renewalSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals
🇨🇴 Barranquilla, ColombiaBarranquilla CarnivalCarnaval de Barranquilla
A four-day street festival of music, masquerade and dance in coastal ColombiaFestival
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 5 moreEgg rolling
A spring game of rolling decorated hard-boiled eggs down hills or along lawnsGame
🇮🇷 Shiraz, IranHaft-sinهفتسین
Seven symbolic items whose Persian names begin with S, set out for NowruzSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals
🇬🇷 GreeceAnthesteriaἈνθεστήρια
An ancient Greek three-day spring festival of Dionysus, new wine, and the deadFestival
🇨🇿 Vlčnov, CzechiaRide of the KingsJízda králů
A Moravian spring procession where horsemen escort a silent boy king holding a roseFestival
🇺🇦 Ukraine and 7 moreKoliadaКоляда
A traditional winter caroling and solstice festival kept across Slavic EuropeFestival
🇮🇷 Iran and 4 moreSizdah Bedarسیزدهبدر
An open-air picnic holiday concluding the Iranian New Year celebrationsFestival
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreHolika Dahanहोलिकादहन
A Hindu ritual bonfire lit on the eve of Holi to welcome the spring.Spiritual
🇨🇦 Toronto, CanadaVictoria DayFête de la Reine
A Canadian public holiday celebrating the monarch and welcoming the return of summerCeremony
🇨🇿 Czechia and 2 moreEaster whippingpomlázka
An Easter Monday custom of tapping women with braided willow switches for vitalitySeasonal
🇬🇷 Greece and 1 moreClean MondayΚαθαρά Δευτέρα
The Monday that opens Great Lent, kept with fasting, forgiveness and kite-flyingSpiritual · Fasting and breaking the fast
🇮🇳 IndiaMahavir Janma Kalyanak
A Jain festival of temple worship, street processions and acts of charitySpiritual
🇷🇴 RomaniaDragobete
A Romanian festival of young love and spring, celebrated with early flowers and courtshipFestival
🇮🇷 Yazd, Iran and 1 moreSadehسده
An ancient midwinter festival of fire, light, and the approach of springFestival · Feasts and festival meals
🇦🇿 AzerbaijanNovruzNovruz Bayramı
The Azerbaijani spring equinox festival of bonfires, sweets and sprouted wheatSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals
🇮🇳 Jaipur, IndiaGangaurगणगौर
A North Indian spring festival honouring Shiva and Gauri with clay idols and processionsFestival · Fasting and breaking the fast
🇨🇭 Zurich, SwitzerlandSechseläutenSächsilüüte
Zurich's spring festival marked by guild parades and the burning of a snowman effigySeasonal
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreCheti Chandچيٽي چنڊ
The Sindhi New Year festival celebrating the arrival of spring and JhulelalSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 4 moreMummers' play
A comic folk drama of staged combat, death, and revival by an eccentric doctorPerformance
🇮🇳 Guwahati, IndiaBohag Bihu
A multi-day Assamese New Year festival of cattle rites, music, gifts and feastsSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals
🇪🇬 Cairo, EgyptSham Ennessimشم النسيم
An Egyptian spring festival of picnics, salted fish, green onions and painted eggsSeasonal
🇦🇱 Elbasan, Albania and 3 moreDita e Verës
An Albanian spring festival of bonfires, sweets and nature renewal on March 14Seasonal
🇮🇳 India and 1 moreDol Purnima
A Hindu spring festival honouring Radha and Krishna with swing processions and colourFestival
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Bhangra: Jimmysekhon25, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Imbolc: Culnacreann, CC BY 3.0, source
- Holi: Jitenderasingh, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Rama Navami: Adityamadhav83, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Losar: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Hanami: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Groundhog Day: Anthony Quintano, CC BY 2.0, source
- Mother's Day: Dave Parker, CC BY 2.0, source
- Chaharshanbe Suri: Philippe Giabbanelli, CC BY 3.0, source
- May Day: Bryan Ledgard, CC BY 2.0, source
- Passover: User:RadRafe~commonswiki, Public domain, source
- Călușari: El bes, CC BY 3.0, source
- Busójárás: User:Themightyquill, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
- Qingming Festival: Jacklee ., CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Ugadi: Kalyan Kanuri, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Day of the Sun: Uri Tours, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Tsagaan Sar: User:Chinneeb, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Egg rolling: White House/Lawrence Jackson, Public domain, source
- Barranquilla Carnival: el heraldo, Public domain, source
- Anthesteria: Unknown artist, Public domain, source
- Sizdah Bedar: PersianDutchNetwork, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Koliada: Konstantin Trutovsky, Public domain, source
- Easter whipping: Chmee2, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Children's Day: Comissão de Jovens, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Ride of the Kings: Filipzverina, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Victoria Day: abdallahh, CC BY 2.0, source
- Sadeh: Farzad j, Public domain, source
- Novruz: Abutalub, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Nowruz: Katzenfee50, CC0, source
- Sechseläuten: anonymous, Public domain, source
- Mummers' play: Aladjov, CC BY 3.0, source
- Dol Purnima: Satyabrata sahoo369, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Dita e Verës: Bibiomn, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Sham Ennessim: Ikonact, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Holika Dahan: Banswalhemant, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Candlemas: Andrea Mantegna, Public domain, source
- Mahavir Janma Kalyanak: Francis Harry Roy S, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Gangaur: Avinashmaurya, CC BY 3.0, source
- Cheti Chand: Coolross ( talk ), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Morris dance: Des Blenkinsopp, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Bohag Bihu: Diganta Talukdar, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- April Fools' Day: Lars Andersen, Public domain, source
- Haft-sin: HengamehRM, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Clean Monday: Перов, Public domain, source
- Saint Patrick's Day in the United States: White House/Chuck Kennedy, Public domain, source
- Indian national calendar: Clemensmarabu, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Chelsea Flower Show: Nzfauna, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Arbor Day: Jonathunder, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Easter: Piero della Francesca, Public domain, source
- Songkran: Khunmoohan, CC BY-SA 4.0, source