🇮🇳 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
🇫🇷 France and 5 moreCandlemas
A Christian feast of candle blessings marking the end of the Christmas seasonSpiritual
🇬🇧 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
🇩🇪 Germany and 1 moreMaifest
A traditional German celebration marking the arrival of spring with decorated maypolesFestival
🇪🇸 Spain and 5 moreArbor Day
An annual secular observance dedicated to planting and caring for trees around the worldCeremony
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 5 moreMorris dance
A rhythmic English folk dance performed in costume with bells, sticks and handkerchiefsPerformance
🇮🇪 Ireland and 1 moreImbolcLá Fhéile Bríde
A Gaelic festival heralding spring and honoring Saint Brigid with woven rush crossesSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals
🇺🇦 Ukraine and 5 moreKupala Night
A summer solstice folk festival marked by bonfires, water rituals and herbal gatherings across Eastern Europe.Festival
🇮🇪 Dublin, Ireland and 3 moreMay Day
A traditional European festival welcoming summer with greenery, dances and bonfiresSeasonal · Feasts and festival meals
🇷🇴 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
🇷🇴 Romania and 3 moreMărțișor
A spring custom of wearing intertwined red and white strings to welcome the new season.Festival
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 5 moreEgg rolling
A spring game of rolling decorated hard-boiled eggs down hills or along lawnsGame
🇬🇷 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
🇨🇿 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
🇳🇴 Oslo, NorwayRussefeiring
A spring graduation rite of passage for Norwegian secondary school studentsRite of passage
🇷🇴 RomaniaDragobete
A Romanian festival of young love and spring, celebrated with early flowers and courtshipFestival
🇨🇭 Zurich, SwitzerlandSechseläutenSächsilüüte
Zurich's spring festival marked by guild parades and the burning of a snowman effigySeasonal
🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 4 moreMummers' play
A comic folk drama of staged combat, death, and revival by an eccentric doctorPerformance
🇦🇱 Elbasan, Albania and 3 moreDita e Verës
An Albanian spring festival of bonfires, sweets and nature renewal on March 14Seasonal
🇪🇸 Valencia, SpainCremà
The ceremonial burning of large artistic street monuments across the Valencian communityFestival
🇳🇱 NetherlandsBloemencorso Bollenstreek
An annual mid-April parade of flower-covered floats across the Dutch bulb regionFestival
🇮🇪 Uisneach, Ireland and 1 moreBeltaneBealtaine
A Gaelic first-of-summer festival of bonfires, May flowers and feasting on 1 MaySeasonal
🇬🇧 Brockworth, United KingdomCooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake
A round of cheese, a steep hill, and runners chasing it down for the prizeGame
🇨🇭 Liestal, SwitzerlandChienbäse
A Swiss carnival night parade of blazing pinewood brooms and carts of fireFestival
🇧🇬 Kazanlak, BulgariaRose FestivalФестивал на розата
An annual harvest celebration of damask roses across the Rose Valley of BulgariaFestival
🇩🇪 Cologne, Germany and 2 moreGerman CarnivalKarneval
Pre-Lenten street parades, costume balls and local revels across German-speaking lands.Festival · Feasts and festival meals
🇱🇺 Luxembourg and 3 moreBuergbrennen
A bonfire festival marking the end of winter on the first Sunday of Lent in LuxembourgSeasonal
🇩🇪 Saalfeld, Germany and 5 moreEaster egg treeOstereierbaum
A German springtime custom of dressing living trees and branches with blown eggsFestival
🇬🇷 GreeceMagiritsaΜαγειρίτσα
A Greek lamb offal soup eaten after the midnight Easter service to break the fastTable custom · Fasting and breaking the fast
🇱🇹 LithuaniaUžgavėnės
A Lithuanian winter-ending festival of masks, mock battles and pancakesFestival
🇮🇪 Ireland and 5 moreSaint Patrick's DayLá Fhéile Pádraig
An annual Irish holiday of parades, church services, green dress and shamrocksFestival
🇱🇹 Vilnius, Lithuania and 3 moreSaint Casimir's FairKaziuko mugė
A spring craft market and folk celebration across the historic streets of VilniusCraft
🇪🇸 Seville, SpainSeville FairFeria de Abril de Sevilla
A week-long spring festival in Seville of carriage parades, marquee tents and dancingFestival · Dinner
🇸🇮 Ptuj, Slovenia and 1 moreKurentovanje
A rite of spring and carnival in Ptuj with masked bell-ringers chasing winter awayFestival
🇧🇪 Binche, BelgiumCarnival of BincheCarnaval de Binche
A Belgian pre-Lenten festival known for masked dancers and orange tossingFestival
🇵🇱 Kraków, PolandLajkonikLajkoniki
An annual hobby-horse pageant through the streets of Kraków each JuneFestival
🇵🇱 PolandEaster in Poland
A spring holiday of family breakfasts, blessed baskets, decorated eggs, and water games.Festival · Breakfast
🇮🇹 Florence, ItalyScoppio del Carro
An Easter Sunday fireworks display ignited by a flying dove in FlorenceFestival
🇩🇪 Germany and 5 moreMaypole
A tall wooden pole, garlanded and danced around, raised at May Day, Whitsun or MidsummerFestival
🇧🇬 Bulgaria and 5 moreMartenitsaмартеница
Red and white yarn dolls worn from 1 March until spring shows itselfFestival
🇧🇬 Bulgaria and 4 moreKukeriкукери (kukeri)
Masked and belled figures who tour Bulgarian villages at New Year to drive off harmSpiritual
🇷🇺 Dymkovo, RussiaDymkovo toysДымковская игрушка
Painted clay people, animals and whistles, shaped by women in Dymkovo near KirovCraft
🇧🇬 Bulgaria and 1 moreBaba MartaБаба Марта
A Bulgarian day on 1 March, when red and white martenitsi are given and wornFestival
🇩🇪 Germany and 2 moreSwabian-Alemannic FastnachtFastnacht
A late-winter carnival of masks and jesters kept before Lent in the Alemannic landsFestival
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Imbolc: Culnacreann, CC BY 3.0, source
- Holi: Jitenderasingh, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Hanami: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Kupala Night: Ivan Sokolov, Public domain, source
- Beltane: Stefan Schäfer, Lich, CC BY-SA 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
- Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake: Dave Farrance, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Egg rolling: White House/Lawrence Jackson, Public domain, source
- Anthesteria: Unknown artist, Public domain, source
- Koliada: Konstantin Trutovsky, Public domain, source
- Easter whipping: Chmee2, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Ride of the Kings: Filipzverina, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Russefeiring: Unknown author, CC BY 2.0, source
- Chienbäse: Christof Berger, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Nowruz: Katzenfee50, CC0, source
- Sechseläuten: anonymous, Public domain, source
- Mummers' play: Aladjov, CC BY 3.0, source
- Dita e Verës: Bibiomn, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Sham Ennessim: Ikonact, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Cremà: Paula Ramírez Morant, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Rose Festival: Animsaj, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- German Carnival: Neva Micheva, CC BY 2.5, source
- Buergbrennen: luxpim, CC BY 2.0, source
- Easter egg tree: Frank schubert, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Magiritsa: Andrew Dalby, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Candlemas: Andrea Mantegna, Public domain, source
- Užgavėnės: Algirdas at Lithuanian Wikipedia, GFDL, source
- Saint Patrick's Day: rannṗáirtí anaiṫnid ( coṁrá ), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Saint Casimir's Fair: Sirex at Lithuanian Wikipedia, Public domain, source
- Seville Fair: Sevilla Congress & Convention Bureau, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Kurentovanje: Aleš Kravos, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Carnival of Binche: Marie-Claire, CC BY 3.0, source
- Bloemencorso Bollenstreek: W. Bulach, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Lajkonik: Igor123121, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Easter in Poland: Silar, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Morris dance: Des Blenkinsopp, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- April Fools' Day: Lars Andersen, Public domain, source
- Clean Monday: Перов, Public domain, source
- Chelsea Flower Show: Nzfauna, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Maypole: Uploaded by Mikael Häggström, CC0, source
- Arbor Day: Jonathunder, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
- Martenitsa: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- Kukeri: Nenko Lazarov, CC BY 2.5, source
- Dymkovo toys: Georg Pik, Public domain, source
- Swabian-Alemannic Fastnacht: Photo: Andreas Praefcke, CC BY 3.0, source
- Easter: Piero della Francesca, Public domain, source
- Songkran: Khunmoohan, CC BY-SA 4.0, source