Invicta Vlogs
Spring has finally arrived!
Spring sweeps the dust out of our corners
as we wake up
as we look and listen
to the promise of a morning sunrise
to joy unfolding
to a glowing new life
– Carole Mullen
After a seemingly endless winter, Spring has finally arrived! For many countries around the world, the Spring equinox marks the start of a new year, as the sun crosses the equator from the Southern to Northern Hemisphere. The word ‘equinox’, derived from Latin, means ‘equal night’, since night and day are of equal length on 20 March.
To most people in the United Kingdom, the beginning of Spring holds no common customs or traditions, except perhaps excitement for warmer, longer days, or the dreaded fear of ‘Spring cleaning’ to come. However, our nonchalant approach to the Spring equinox seems unusual to many other cultures across the globe, who hold the celebration in high regard. Internationalism is a fundamental value at Invicta; our celebration of other cultures continues throughout the academic year with our Multicultural Ball, World School, and student exchanges with Spain, Japan, and Italy, to name a few. As such, I decided to research the different cultural celebrations surrounding the Spring equinox for my blog this week. Join me on my cultural adventure across the globe…
Being born in Moscow to a Russian mother, I was aware of the Eastern Slavic traditional celebration of ‘Maslenitsa’ to welcome the new year after the harsh, gruelling winter months. According to archaeological evidence from 2nd century A.D., the Maslenitsa festivity may be the oldest surviving Slavic holiday. Originally celebrating the waking of the earth, ‘blini’ (pancakes) are eaten, as they represent the warmth and shape of the Sun. The townsfolk are brought together, to sing, dance, skate on the still-frozen lakes, and ride sleighs. Interestingly, during the Soviet Union, communist authorities attempted to impose ‘Red Maslenitsa’ as an anti-religious demonstration, but many people continued celebrating with their family and friends in private, keeping the tradition alive.
(Гид Петербург2, 2020)
Meanwhile, in Thailand the annual Songkran Water Festival is held, where locals and tourists alike take to the streets, equipped with water guns, hoses and buckets, ready to drench anyone in their path. Splashing others with water is believed to cause plenty of rainfall in the coming year, and cleanse their body and minds.
(ASIA DMC, 2017)
Travelling west we reach India, to celebrate undoubtedly one of the most colourful festivals in the world: Holi. Celebrated by Hindus across Northern India, it involves throwing coloured powder at one another, to pay tribute to the many hues of the spring season as well as events from Hindu mythology.
(Samayam Telugu, 2020)
Continuing west, we stumble across the festival of Nowruz, celebrated across Central Asia. The multi-day festivities start with people cleaning their homes; which is actually where the well-known notion of ‘spring cleaning’ originates from! Soon, it escalates into a street festival of bonfires, costumes, and family remembrance, until the 13th day of the New Year.
(Maxouris, 2021)
Next, a party featuring music, drinking and … scrambled eggs! In Bosnia, at the crack of dawn, people gather by the banks of the Bosna river, where a communal meal of scrambled eggs is prepared, and distributed between hundreds of people. The festivities are known as ‘Cimburijada’, otherwise translated to the ‘Festival of Scrambled Eggs’!
(OROGOLD Team, 2019)
You’ll need the energy from those scrambled eggs for our next challenge… across the Pacific awaits a 360 step climb to the top of the ancient Teotihuacán Pyramid in Mexico. Initially done by Aztecs eight centuries ago to get closer to “portals of energy”, the tradition of raising your arms towards the sky and basking in the sun’s warmth remains!
(Chichen Itza, Britannica, 2021)
Finally, we arrive to our last destination. Perhaps the most unusual Spring equinox celebration, happens right here in sunny old England. Brits enjoy flinging a nine-pound wheel of cheese down Cooper’s Hill in Gloucester, before hundreds of competitors race (a better word would be somersault) down the 200-yard-long hill in order to touch the cheese first. The winner receives a prize of … the 4kg cheese. The event occurs annually, during the second bank holiday weekend, and spectators gather from far and wide to witness the madness. If you’re curious to see what a cheese-chasing race looks like, follow the link below, but I must warn you… don’t try it down the North Downs!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvuktushEhY
Cheese Rolling | ©michael warren/Flickr (Earley, 2017)
I hope that you enjoyed our trip around the world, learning about unique festivities along the way. With any luck, we soon might experience a Spring equinox celebration in real life!
Best wishes
Maria Bragin – Head Girl
References;
Гид Петербург2 (2020). Праздник “Масленица 2.0” в Парке 300-летия 2020 можно будет посетить 01 марта в 15:00. [online] Peterburg2.ru. Available at: https://peterburg2.ru/news/prazdnik-maslenica-2-0-v-parke-300letiya-2020-mozhno-budet-posetit-01-marta-v-1500-65454.html [Accessed 18 Mar. 2021].
ASIA DMC. (2017). Songkran Water Festival where Water as Symbolism. [online] Available at: https://www.asiadmc.com/songkran-water-festival-where-water-as-symbolism [Accessed 18 Mar. 2021].
in (2020). Holi Festival [online] Samayam Telugu. Available at: https://telugu.samayam.com/religion/festivals/history-and-significance-of-holi-in-telugu-these-states-celebrate-differently/articleshow/74549771.cms [Accessed 18 Mar. 2021].
Maxouris, C. (2021). More than 300 million people will celebrate Nowruz (and you should, too). [online] CNN. Available at: https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/nowruz-2021-explainer-trnd/index.html [Accessed 18 Mar. 2021].
OROGOLD Team (2019). Spring Festivals Around the World. [online] Oro Gold Stores. Available at: https://orogoldstores.com/spring-festivals-around-world/ [Accessed 18 Mar. 2021].
Chichen Itza | Description, Buildings, History, & Facts | Britannica. (2021). In: Encyclopædia Britannica. [online] Available at: https://www.britannica.com/place/Chichen-Itza [Accessed 18 Mar. 2021].
Earley, C. (2017). A Quick Guide to Cheese Rolling, England’s Strangest Sport. [online] Culture Trip. Available at: https://theculturetrip.com/europe/united-kingdom/england/articles/a-quick-guide-to-cheese-rolling-englands-strangest-sport/ [Accessed 18 Mar. 2021].
