People have been celebrating the arrival of spring for millennia with festivals, colors, rituals and customs. The spring equinox marks a turning point for the year and, as such, cultures all over the world have found unique ways to honor it.
Here are a few of the more popular spring festivals that are held each year in accordance with the changing seasons.
16 global springtime festivals
Songkran
Where: Thailand
When: April 13-15
Songkran, Thailand's New Year, is a giant water fight! It's a massive celebration with parades, merit-making at temples and, of course, people dousing each other with water. The water symbolizes washing away bad luck and welcoming a fresh, clean start to the year.
Semana Santa
Where: Latin America, Spain
When: The week leading up to Easter
Semana Santa (“Holy Week”) is a solemn yet festive time for Catholics in Latin America and Spain. This commemoration of the last week of Jesus’ life leads up to Easter with symbolic processions, reenactments of the Passion of Christ and special church services.
Holi
Where: Indian subcontinent
When: last full moon day of the Hindu winter month
This Festival of Colors in India is a joyous explosion of vibrant powder and water, the likes of which you’re sure to have seen images of in the past — it’s unlike anything else.
During Holi, people throw colored powder at each other to symbolize the triumph of good over evil and the arrival of spring. This joyous, exciting festival is a time for letting go of inhibitions, celebrating life and strengthening bonds with friends and family.
Holla Mohalla
Where: Punjab
When: second day of the month of Chett (usually in March)
Holla Mohalla, which comes a few days after Holi, is a celebration of Sikh warriors and their rich culture. It involves mock battles, martial arts displays and colorful processions, all showcasing the strength and courage of the Sikh community and their long, sacred heritage.
Walpurgis Night
Where: Northern Europe, Scandanavia
When: April 30
Walpurgis Night (also called Valborg) is a lively celebration in parts of Europe that kicks off the spring season. Huge communal bonfires are lit to ward off evil spirits and to welcome the coming of warmer weather, and people will gather for feasts and dancing while wearing costumes inspired by witches and magic.
Nowruz
Where: Middle East, Black Sea Basin, Central Asia, Balkans
When: First day of the Persian New Year
This celebration of the Persian New Year rings in spring with a vibrant festival for spring’s arrival. During the holiday (which lasts for up to two weeks!), families will gather for elaborate feasts, decorate their homes with colorful symbols of new beginnings and jump over bonfires to symbolically leap over misfortune. Joyful music and traditional clothing add to the festive atmosphere as people pay respects to elders and exchange gifts with family and friends.
Passover
Where: Global
When: 15th-22nd day of the Hebrew month of Nissan (usually March or April)
Passover, a major Jewish holiday observed for over two and a half millennia, commemorates the Israelites' liberation from slavery in Egypt. Traditionally, families gather for a special Seder meal that recounts the story of Exodus and features symbolic foods like matzah (unleavened bread) and bitter herbs. It's a time of reflection, family togetherness and celebrating freedom.
Las Fallas
Where: Spain
When: March 15-19
This Spanish festival held in Valencia is a truly fiery farewell to winter. Giant papier-mâché statues called fallas are erected throughout the city, depicting funny or satirical scenes; then, in a spectacular display, they're all set ablaze on the night of March 19. It's a loud, energetic celebration with fireworks and exciting street parties that continue through the night.
Spring Equinox in Teotihuacán
Where: Mexico
When: Spring equinox (Usually March 20 or 21)
At the ancient Mexican city of Teotihuacán, the widely-celebrated Spring Equinox transforms into a spiritual and historical experience. Thousands gather around the Pyramid of the Sun as dawn breaks on either March 20 or March 21, hoping to soak in the sun's energy and watch the play of light and shadow dance across the temple’s structures — a reminder of the balance between night and day and darkness and light.
Flower Parade of the Bollenstreek
Where: Holland, Netherlands
When: April
Every year, around April, flower-filled floats wind their way through miles of tulip fields in the Holland region of the Netherlands, creating a vibrant display of color in all shapes and sizes. Millions of freshly-bloomed tulip, hyacinth and daffodil flowers are meticulously arranged into fantastical displays, showcasing the region's renowned flower-growing industry and rich history with the coming of another spring.
Sham el Nessim
Where: Egypt
When: Orthodox Easter Monday
“Sham el Nessim” translates to "The Feast of Smelling the Breeze" and is celebrated on the Monday following the Coptic Easter. This spring festival is a day for Egyptians to head outdoors, enjoy picnics with family and friends and enjoy seasonal foods like fava beans, colored eggs and salted fish. The festival, as the name suggests, celebrates the outdoors, freshness, nature’s bounty, new life and family — all themes associated with Easter, the springtime and the spring equinox.
Li Chun
Where:
When: February
This traditional Chinese festival marks the official start of spring according to the lunisolar calendar, usually falling sometime between late-January and mid-February. It’s celebrated almost exactly midway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox, the latter of which is believed to be the height of spring, rather than the beginning. More specifically, it’s celebrated when the sun reaches a celestial longitude of 315°; the Chinese Lunar New Year is celebrated on the first new moon of the year, and while both celebrations occur around the same time, they aren’t necessarily celebrated on the same day.
Cooper's Hill Cheese-Rolling and Wake
Where: Gloucestershire, England
When: May
This quirky, chaotic, 200-year-old English tradition held on the Spring Bank Holiday in May is basically a giant, downhill race – against a wheel of cheese!
Participants chase a wheel of Double Gloucester cheese down the super-steep Cooper's Hill near Gloucestershire. The cheese almost always wins, but the first person to cross the finish line gets to claim the cheese as their prize; grass, mud, dirt and all!
Cimburijada (Festival of Scrambled Eggs)
Where: Bosnia
When: First day of spring
Head to Bosnia in springtime for Cimburijada, a celebration centered around all things scrambled eggs! Held in the town of Zenica, chefs compete for the title of the best scrambled eggs, with locals and visitors enjoying samples and festivities throughout the town. All in all, it’s an egg-cellent way to welcome spring in a unique festival and a fun way to explore Bosnian cuisine!
Nyepi
Where: Bali, Indonesia
When: New Year’s Day in the Balinese Calendar (usually in March or April)
This Balinese Hindu holiday, also known as the Day of Silence, is a unique experience unlike any other spring celebration.
Held on the new moon day in March or April, Nyepi is a day of complete stillness and introspection. The entire island observes silence: no noise, no work, no travel — even the airport shuts down! It's a time for meditation, self-reflection and spiritual cleansing, allowing the world to reset and emerge fresh in the new year.
Easter
Where: Global
When: the first Sunday after the first full moon after the spring equinox
This widely celebrated Christian holiday commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ. While Easter traditions vary around the world, it often involves attending church services, decorating eggs, sharing special meals with family and hiding treats for children in an Easter egg hunt. Though it’s picked up a variety of traditions along the way, it's a joyous celebration of faith, springtime renewal and new beginnings.
How amazing is it that there are so many wonderful ways to celebrate the arrival of spring? From days of silence to bonfires to flower parades, scrambled eggs, cheese races and more, people all around the world have found unique and spectacular ways to celebrate the freshness of spring and a new start. How will you celebrate?
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Featured photo by Maxime Bhm on Unsplash
Colleen Ford is a South African who now lives on Oahu in Hawai'i. She loves to travel, camp, spearfish and hike. She's also part of a super cool canoe club and is pretty decent at it. Colleen enjoys Star Wars and also not being cold ever.
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