As the spring season blooms, it revives a sense of energy and brings back the cherished activities and traditions people look forward to each year. With the warm weather and extra hours of daylight, people have more time to enjoy and explore the outdoors.
“Spring just makes me feel good,” FHS freshman Sahana Anand Kumar said. “It’s pretty sunny, no more cold winds and it just feels like we’re approaching summer and the end of the school year.”
Many people look forward to the changing scenery. As the environment shifts from leafless trees and early sunsets to flowers and wildlife bursting from every corner, this change is a highlight for many people.
“I have an orange tree that blooms a lot of flowers and smells really good outside my house,” FHS freshman Samantha Ramirez said.
The new growth of plants is often another factor that draws people into spending more time outdoors. Activities such as biking, gardening and hiking are introduced once again, no longer limited by the cold seasons. Spring is also an ideal season for planting as the soil softens and sunlight becomes more readily available and abundant. Due to the agricultural benefits of the season, calendars from around the world started during spring to mark the beginning of the planting process.
During this season of cultivating plants, it is also common to participate in spring cleaning. Homes are often decluttered with items given away and spaces cleaned much more thoroughly than routinely. This tradition is thought to date back approximately 3,000 years ago, with potential roots in Zoroastrianism. Similarly, the new year of the Lunar calendar or the Lunar New Year falls in the spring. During the celebration, many households follow the tradition to clean in order to sweep away bad luck and negative energies for the preparation of the year ahead. The Puthandu, or Tamil new year, is also celebrated during this time reinforcing the association between this season and new beginnings.
“We do have this one celebration called Tamil New Year during spring, [where] our friends and family unite, and we have a potluck, [and] go to temples,” Kumar said.
Many religious holidays also take place during the spring season, such as Easter, Passover and Lent. For many Christians and Catholics, such as Ramirez, Lent is a significant period leading up to Easter. During this time, participants may practice fasting, giving up certain luxuries, abstaining from meat on Fridays and taking on an extra form of self-discipline.
“We practice having this one promise that we have to keep,” Ramirez said. “It’s giving up something that you really like to be grateful for more things.”
The season of spring has turned into a time period that students can look forward to. In addition to the increase and exploration of outdoor activities and warmer weather, many schools have a spring break allowing their students to spend this time with loved ones and potentially travel. Furthermore, at FHS, spring marks the start of a new sports season that students can participate in. Beyond athletics, the season is filled with religious, cultural and academic highlights, making it a vibrant and memorable time of year for many people around the world.
