Spring is a wonderful time for many people. Things like spring break, end of school, warmer weather, stuff like that. There’s also a lot of holidays that happen in spring. Not just in the US, but all around the world, and I’m gonna tell you about them!
April Fool’s Day is on April 1st; it’s when people pull pranks and harmless tricks on one another. The holiday originated in France, all the way back in the 1580’s. Around this time, the Julian calendar that Julius Caesar had created was getting replaced with the Gregorian calendar, which is the calendar most people in the world use today. A big difference the calendars had was that on the Julian calendar, New Year started on April 1st. In the Gregorian calendar, the New Year started on January 1st. Most people didn’t know the day of New Years was changed so those people kept celebrating it on April 1st. Those same people were mocked and called ‘April Fools’. From there on, April Fool’s Day was born.
Passover, also called Pesach in Hebrew, is a Jewish Holiday that occurs during April for a little over a week. This year’s Passover starts on the evening of April 12 and ends on April 20. Passover originates from the liberation of enslaved Hebrews in Egypt. The name ‘Passover’ comes from the idea that God ‘passed over’ the homes of the Hebrews during the tenth plague (Not going into this so look it up on your own free-will). This holiday is celebrated with a meal called Seder and a telling of the Exodus stories.
Easter is on April 20; it celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Easter originated as a pagan festival celebrating spring. There are many ways to celebrate Easter, one of them being going to church, especially considering what Easter celebrates. Two other ways are painting eggs and going on egg hunts, both of which are very popular traditions. Even before Christian influence, eggs were associated with spring, due to their representation of new life. Easter egg hunts originated in Germany, in the late 16th century. Protestant reformer Martin Luther (yes, you read that right) would organize egg hunts for his congregation. The men would usually hide the eggs and the women and kids would look for them. This was done as a nod to the story of resurrection, where an empty tomb was discovered by women.
Songkran isn’t a world-wide celebrated holiday, it’s a Thai holiday. It’s kind of like Thailand’s version of New Year’s but it’s more of a festival. Songkran is celebrated with a water pouring ceremony, which symbolizes washing away bad luck at the beginning of the year. They also clean Buddha statues, which symbolize purification and blessing. They honor elders by pouring water on their hands to show respect and their blessing. They also celebrate with family gatherings to eat and spend time together.
Mother’s Day is on May 11th and is a holiday where we celebrate our mothers. Mother’s Day started in 1905, when a girl named Anna Jarvis lost her mom. After that, she campaigned to have a day honoring all moms. It took almost 10 years, but by 1914, Mother’s Day was made into a national holiday. Most people celebrate Mother’s Day by spending time with their mothers, doing things together, giving them gifts, and showing their love and appreciation for their mothers.
Ramadan is on March 19 and it celebrates the first revelation of the Quran to the Prophet Muhammad. It’s a Muslim holiday and a way Muslims become closer to their god. Muslims celebrate Ramadan by fasting from the start of dawn to the end of sunset. Before dawn they eat a meal called suhoor, and to break the fast they eat a meal called iftar. They also pray more throughout the day and give more to those who are in need as another way to celebrate. People also gather as a community during iftar to celebrate the end of the fast.
Valentine’s Day is on February 14th and we celebrate it by showing people we love them. People send cards, give chocolates, and show gestures of affection. The origins of Valentine’s Day are set somewhere in Christianity and Pagan traditions. In Christian traditions, Valentine’s began as a way of honoring a martyr named Saint Valentine, but it wasn’t till the Middle Ages that romance was associated with Valentine’s Day.
I hope you learned more about a spring holiday you like or learned about a new one that makes you wanna look into it more. Have a happy spring everyone!
