The Rites of Spring

Spring is here! The sun has finally returned from its sabbatical after a cold winter, and all of a sudden it’s time to change the bed sheets from thick to thin, give the home a once over, and stretch your legs in the great outdoors wearing a pair of shorts. Nature begins to bloom, and in Australia we sow crops such as corn, cotton, and millet, and reap others such as oats and barley. But, while we modern city-dwellers merely change our clothes and (some) set our clocks forward, our ancestors - many of whom lived in much colder climates than ours - were more attentive to, and appreciative of, the gifts of spring. What did springtime look like for them, and what traditions survive today?

In Europe, the first of May is May Day and marks the start of spring. Celebrations once involved gathering flowers and foliage and brightening streets and homes with them. A decorated tree, or ‘maypole,’ was erected and dances were performed around it. In England, more elaborate maypoles were decked with ribbons and streamers and paraded through the streets before being displayed for the community.

Maypole dances are thought to be remnants of ancient times intended to encourage or celebrate fertility (either agricultural or human) and survived in England until May Day symbols were banned by Protestants after the Reformation (though later returned). Morris dancing, an English folk dance, is also often part of the celebrations.

Interestingly, May day celebrations in Europe and the US once involved a tradition of children making May Day baskets out of paper and filling them with flowers before giving them (anonymously) to their neighbours. Different times! May Day celebrations are still held in parts of the UK today.

Beltane has, at various times, been held in Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man and includes the setting of bonfires. It originally coincided with the movement of livestock into open pastures in the warmer months and was an attempt to provide blessings, or protection, for the animals.  

Walpurgis Night occurs on the eve of the feast day of Saint Walpurga in northern and central Europe. Similar to Beltane, it often involves welcoming spring with large fires, and once included attempts to keep evil spirits and witches at bay.

Christian traditions also occur during spring. The observance of Lent, a period of abstinence and fasting, begins forty-six days before Easter on Ash Wednesday. During this approximately six-week period, believers often abstain from eating meat, cheese, and eggs. Prior to the sixth century, many undertook a ‘Black Fast’, where they consumed no food or water during the day and only broke their fast after sunset with a vegetarian meal. The day before Lent is Shrove Tuesday, where pancakes are made with eggs, milk, and sugar.

Easter itself occurs on the first Sunday following the first full moon on or after the March (or spring) equinox. One of the customs was to exchange eggs among friends and relatives, and this tradition of course continues today, though with chocolate eggs. Easter is referred to a ‘moveable feast’ because the dates of Good Friday and Easter Sunday vary each year (partly because the Catholic and Protestant churches follow the Gregorian calendar and the Eastern Orthodox churches the Julian).

When is spring? In astronomical terms, spring begins on March 20 or 21 in the northern hemisphere and on September 22 or 23 in the southern hemisphere. In meteorological terms, however, things are different: spring begins on March 1 in the northern hemisphere and 1 September in the southern hemisphere. In Australia, we have chosen the meteorological method and this is why it often seems that spring has not truly sprung until well after its official start.

Morana (also known as Marzanna, Morana, or Morena depending on which part of central or eastern Europe you come from) is a goddess whose demise represents the annual passing of winter, while the rebirth of the goddess Kostroma (aka Lada or Vesna) represents the coming of spring. Morana is a bit of a scapegoat for Slavic people sick of winter and takes a fair bit of punishment during traditions where dolls are ‘drowned’ in local rivers, lakes, or ponds, and effigies in her likeness burned.

The Furry Dance is a longstanding English tradition which happens during Flora Day on May 8 each year. It is most popular in Helston, Cornwall and celebrates the arrival of spring with plenty of dancing by performers who wear lily of the valley, Helston’s symbolic flower.

Busójárás takes place in Mohacs, southern Hungary, from the last Thursday of the carnival season and ends the day before Ash Wednesday. The Busós are men in scary masks and costumes, and are a feature of festivities known for mingling among the crowds and generally causing a ruckus. In its present, tourist-friendly incarnation, the celebration is said to scare away winter and welcome spring, though according to local legend, the practice was originally devised as a way to scare away invading Turks.  

And lastly, Imbolc is a traditional Gaelic festival thought to date to ancient times that celebrates the start of spring. There is evidence it was originally a pagan festival, though more recently is the feast day of St Brigid, patroness saint of Ireland. Customs once included the weaving of Brigid’s crosses used to ward off evil spirits, and some would make a bed and leave food and drink for Brigid to receive her blessing.

These traditional celebrations of spring provide a glimpse into societies and communities that cherished the revitalisation and renewal that spring represents and came together share the occasion. There was a near-universal belief in the ‘beyond’, a desire to connect with something greater the literal and material, and a shared culture and sensibility that seems quite foreign today. Though for many of us today spring is no longer a sacred time, such traditions can give us pause to consider, as part of our busy lives, how we, too, might create a world with more meaning.