Springtime is delightful in any country, but these are some that celebrate it as well.

Cherry Blossom Festival ~ Japan

In Japan, the arrival of spring is celebrated with the much revered and celebrated cherry blossom season. The blooming is known as ‘Sakura’, a highly anticipated event, with people flocking to parks and gardens to view the beautiful blossoms. 

The Cherry Blossom Festival, is a time when people come together to celebrate the arrival of spring. It is a very short season, lasting for as long as the blossoms bloom, usually no more than two weeks before they fall to the ground. 

Many people have picnics under the trees, known as ‘Ohanami’, enjoying a wide variety of traditional Japanese food. There is also meaning behind the cherry blossoms. In Japanese culture, they represent the fleeting nature of life, and their delicate beauty serves as a reminder to appreciate the present moment – a good lesson for us all.

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Songkran ~Thailand

In Thailand, the arrival of spring/summer is celebrated with the festival of Songkran, or Thai New Year. It is a vibrant and joyous celebration that takes place at the hottest time of the year. 

It is celebrated in mid-April, the festival typically lasting for three day, during which, people pour water on each other to wash away the past year's sins, and to bring good luck and prosperity for the coming year. 

Songkran has become famous as the world's largest water fight. The gentle sprinkling of water has transformed over the years into an exuberant super-soaking event with participants arming themselves with water pistols and buckets to share their cool, often iced-cool, watery ‘blessings’ with everyone they see. 

Of course, the festival is also marked by lots of meals shared with family and friends. There is also traditional food, music and dance, washing of Buddha images, and a plethora of rituals at the temple.

But perhaps most importantly, Songkran is a time for families to come together and pay respects to their ancestors, as well as to give offerings to Buddhist temples in readiness for a hope-filled new year for all.

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Holi Festival ~ India and Nepal

Holi, also known as the Festival of Colours, is a vibrant and exciting Hindu spring festival celebrated in India and in Nepal. 

Based on the lunar calendar, the festival starts on the full moon day in the month of Phalgun (a month of the Hindu calendar that corresponds with February and March) and both signifies the arrival of spring and is also seen as a celebration of the victory of good over evil. 

One of the most striking elements of the celebration of Holi has to be the colour! Known as ‘Gulal’, celebrants throw coloured powders over each other as a way to celebrate and welcome spring. Originally made from tree flowers and blossoms now, with the loss of trees from the urban environment, the Gulal powders are largely made from synthetic dyes. 

Water guns and water balloons are also used during the festival, contributing to the colourful and playful atmosphere. And adding to the ‘heady’ mix of colour, music and fun is ‘Bhang’, a beverage infused with cannabis and widely consumed during the festival. The Holi Festival is a fun festival, certainly most colourful, making it a time of unity and joy.

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