The Power of Spring Through It’s Festivals

“Spring adds new life and new beauty to all that is”– Jessica Harrelson

I love springtime. I love the cool rainy weather, and how all of the various plants literally spring back to life with vivid shades of color. Spring is also a time for birth and renewal, and because of this every culture and spiritual tradition has celebrated spring with various festivals, rituals, observances, and rites of passage. The festivals of the world celebrate the transition from winter, a time of scarcity and harshness, to spring which is a time of plenty as well as physical and spiritual renewal. The power of spring is best illustrated by the various religious festivals, celebrations, and holidays.

About a month ago (March 8, 2012), the Holi festival was celebrated in India. The Holi festival is a Hindu celebration where brightly colored and scented powders are thrown about, and at night bonfires are lit. There are several stories from Hindu mythology that the festival represents, but in modern times the festival focuses on the end of winter, and the beginning of spring, and all of its beautiful colors and bounty. While I have never attended this festival it is on my “bucket list”, and I love to see the images of revelers joyously tossing about vividly colored powders. While the powders obviously represent the vivid colors of spring, I have been told that the colored powders also represent blessings, so festival goers are literally blessed from head to toe by the time the festival is finished! 😉

This last weekend the Easter Holiday (April 8, 2012) was celebrated by Christians, in order to observe the Christian tradition of the death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, better known as Jesus Christ in the western world. Interestingly, in order to observe the regeneration (renewal) of Jesus, the Christians adopted several symbols (eggs and rabbits) from so-called “pagan” cultures and religions. While the eggs and rabbits have become a bit cliché, due in large part to retailers wishing to cash-in on any sales opportunity, they are actually powerful symbols of the fertility and regeneration aspects of spring. Spring is a time for renewal and rebirth, and should be taken advantage of in order to make positive changes in our life, and leave negative experiences and mindsets in the past, so that we can be reborn anew.

The Jewish faith is observing Passover (April 6-14, 2012), which commemorates the liberation of the Israelites from their bondage in Egypt. One of the hallmarks of Passover, is the partaking of unleavened bread, which tradition states, on one level, commemorates that the Israelites had to leave Egypt so quickly that they were unable to allow their bread to rise. However, the unleavened bread could also be a sign of regeneration, because the unleavened bread would have been made with the last of the Israelites grain stores in Egypt. After, the unleavened bread was consumed, the Israelites would have to start anew, and depend on the bounty that God provided for them. In the same way spring symbolizes the return to prosperity, and a chance to begin anew.

I know personally for myself, I will use this spring as a time for replenishment and renewal by focusing on areas in my life that need to be born anew.

Practical Tip: Try and meditate for 10 to 20 minutes by repeating to yourself the mantra “renewal” or “rebirth”, take a mental note of the thoughts or images that arise, but try not to dwell on them, simply let them arise and subside. When you have completed your meditation think back to what crossed your mind, and think of ways that any negativity can be rectified, and how any positive thoughts can be cultivated or put to use.

Please comment on any spring traditions or festivals that you have, what spring means to you, and/or how you plan on taking advantage of spring.

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Also please check out my book, “The Path: Using the Religions of the World as a Guide to Personal and Spiritual Development.” (Click on the book cover to view on Amazon.com)