Spring Festivals Around the World

By: Mariia Bublykova, Year 11

As winter fades away, the weather becomes warmer and the first blossoms emerge, different cultures all over the world celebrate different variations of spring festivals. Across countries and continents, spring festivals mark a time of renewal, joy, and tradition, each offering a unique perspective and way to celebrate the new season. Here’s a short list of some of the festivals taking place in the following months!

Holi (Mar 14, 2025) – An extremely popular worldwide Hindu festival of high cultural significance tracing its roots to Hindu mythology, celebrated as the Festival of Colours, Love, Spring, and the Triumph of Good over Evil, famous worldwide for its vibrant colors and large-scale celebrations. Holi emerged thousands of years ago, the oldest descriptions known to us reaching the 4th century CE, by the poet Kālidāsa during the 4th-century reign of Chandragupta II. The holiday held a significant presence throughout Indian history, mentioned constantly in scriptures and often depicted in art for sanctuaries, to the present day. Today, Holi is known as one of the most vibrant festivals in India and beyond, alluring millions of tourists to India’s largest cities for one of the most memorable experiences of one’s life. 

Cherry Blossom Festival, Hanami (March-April) – Another well-known and well-lowed worldwide spring festival, originates from Japan. Hanami, which in translation means “viewing flowers” is a practice which can be traced back for thousands of years, having evolved from a festival reserved for Japanese aristocrats, mainly revolving around plum blossoms, to a festival open to anybody, celebrating the coming of spring and this time centering around cherry blossoms. The short-lived lifespan of the delicate flowers symbolizes the impermanence of beauty and life, a concept known as “mono no aware” or nothing lasts forever. Cherry blossom season in Japan occurs between March and May, with timing varying by region, as spring officially runs from March 1 to May 31, though similar celebrations inspired by Hanami often take place in numerous cities outside Japan and all over the world. 

Las Fallas (Mar 1 –  Mar 19, 2025) – a tradition of communities in Valencia and its diaspora celebrating the coming of spring, purification, and rejuvenation of community social activity, is a grand festival flooding the streets with parading bands and colorful carnival decorations, the main one being the giant falla – a monument made by local artists, composed of ninots, caricature pieces usually placed in the center of the town square. The unique, colorful celebrations were inscribed in 2016 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, recognizing its high cultural significance that attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists from all over the world to the city annually.

Canadian Tulip Festival (May 9-19th 2025) – A festival hosted in Canada’s capital since 1953, known as the largest tulip festival in the world, is once again planning to take place in May this year. Ottawa’s connection to tulips dates back to WW2, when Princess Juliana of the Netherlands took refuge in Canada. After the liberation of the Netherlands in 1945, and the princess’s return to the Netherlands, Juliana expressed gratitude by gifting 100,000 tulip bulbs to Ottawa, marking the beginning of the “Tulip Legacy”. This has grown into one of the biggest flower festivals in the world today.  

As spring arrives, numerous bright and colorful festivals emerge all over the world celebrating the return of life and warmth after the winter. The perfect time to enjoy the beautiful blossoms and festive atmosphere, as the world returns its colors and blooms once again.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holi https://www.jal.co.jp/fr/en/guide-to-japan/experiences/cherry-blossom/cherry-blossom-festivals/index.html#:~:text=Japan%20Airlines%20today-,What%20is%20a%20cherry%20blossom%20festival%3F,which%20means%20%E2%80%9Cviewing%20flowers.%E2%80%9D https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/valencia-fallas-festivity-00859 

https://tulipfestival.ca/ https://ottawatourism.ca/en/see-and-do/canadian-tulip-festival  https://ottawatourism.ca/en/ottawa-insider/deep-historical-roots-canadian-tulip-festival 

https://m.ellaslist.com.au/system/articles/featured_images/000/003/630/original/Spring_festivals_in_Sydney_2024_%282%29.jpg?1723703931 https://www.travelandleisure.com/thmb/OGqKU3DtKB-TmF7OWZKtP58jy88=/1500×0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/bhaktapur-nepal-holi-HOLI0219-b713df59f115452baa1374efb3e59ff2.jpg https://sowherenext.co/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Cherry-Blossom.jpg