Spring is celebrated as the “king of seasons,” bringing warmth, vibrancy, and joy with its colorful flowers and lively insect activity. It’s a time for renewal, community festivals like Madanotsav and Vasant Panchami, and optimal growth in nature. Each season is vital, yet spring particularly enhances happiness and connection.
What’s your favorite month of the year? Why?
The Scenario
The mildly cold weather and balmy sun give a cosy warmth. There are colourful flowers everywhere, adding different hues as if the rainbow has come down on earth to greet us. Various bumble bees hover on flowers, humming and creating a sweet melodious symphony. To the happiness of all, spring has knocked on the door.
Seasonal Cycle
Nature has bestowed the absolute best to us to enjoy and admire. The seasonal cycle is one of the most important of all that Nature has granted us. No one can talk better about the monotony of weather than those living near the polar regions of the earth, like Norway, the “Land of Midnight Sun”. It is the country where the sun continues to shine for six months and nights last for the rest of the year. The weather cycle is due to the 23.5-degree tilt of the earth on its axis known as the obliquity of the ecliptic. The three main weathers are Winter, Summer and Monsoon while Fall and Spring come in between. Fall is after winter followed by Spring. Each weather is important for regular energy flow and for life to work normally. The crops follow seasonal patterns so also our festivals and celebrations. Prioritizing any weather, thus, would be an injustice to the other. For the lack of one, the existence of another is unimaginable and impossible. It is because of the rotation of the earth around the sun which it completes in 365 days.
The Spring Season
(A) It Gives Best
Spring is the period of a year that gives its best to all animate and inanimate, living or dead. Also known as king of seasons, it signifies fertility, production, happiness and opulence. The days start becoming long, allowing long hours of sunlight and a cosy warm atmosphere. The universe appears to be dancing with joy. The rapturous natural beauty and salubrious environment fill a sense of vigour that rejuvenates and invigorates. Mother Nature, with her bounties, blesses us all. Every single organism becomes busy in their work. The important one is proliferation.
(B) Colourful Flowers Lure
The colourful flowers, whether single or in bunches, attract insects by offering nectar and pollen. They advertise their products by their sheer bright colour and beauty to insects for their pollination. The kaleidoscope of butterflies adds glamour. Breaking the phase of dormancy of the pupal stage, butterflies come to animate life for reproduction and laying eggs. The whole world dances, keeping only one thing in mind is that of proliferation and mating.
(C) Period of Community Enjoyment
(1) Madanotsav
For human beings, it brings joy, inebriation and carelessness in behaviour. Carelessness is not negative here. Instead, it is a mental state when a person drenched with the ecstasy of divine bliss becomes oblivious about his surroundings and breaks all barriers to dance, laugh and guffaw. It is a period of community enjoyment as well. In most civilizations, it is the time of celebration. In Indian civilization, it is the season of Kaamdev, also known as Madan, who is the deity of romance and love. He evokes love among the opposite sexes. Floral fragrance mixed with pollen dust and the buzzing sound of insects intoxicates all men and women along with whole of the nature. It is when a tradition of celebrating “Madanotsav” (celebrating love, romance and affection), also known as “Vasantotsav” or “Vasant Panchami” (celebrating spring), was celebrated with much fun and frolic in ancient times.
(2) Vasant Panchami and Goddess Saraswati
In modern times, people wearing yellow, saffron or ochre colour dresses offer prayer to Goddess Saraswati, the Goddess of wisdom and learning. They beseech Her to grant them intellect and prudence along with knowledge. Forty days after “Vassnt Panchami”, a colourful festival of Holi is celebrated.
(D) Kamdev was Burned to Ashes
There are several stories about the Holi celebration. In Sanatan tradition, it is said that Kamdev was requested by demigods to wake Lord Shiva from His deep meditation to beget a child who would annihilate the dreaded demon of that time. Though very dangerous, Kamdev accepted the appeal in broader interest and succeeded in breaking the meditation of Lord Shiva. Enraged by the audacity of Kamdev, Lord Shiva opened His third eye and burned him to ashes. Rati, the wailing widow of decease, started hard penance before the Lord to bring back her husband to life. Pleased Shiva blessed and brought her husband back to life after forty days. It is why people celebrate Holi after forty days of Vasant Panchami. This story conveys a scientific message as well. After the start of spring, it takes about forty days for the season to come to its pinnacle. This time is used by Mother Nature to mature and prepare herself.
Optimal Growth
Plants grow optimally during this season as it allows optimal assimilation of food and metabolic activities. The woody plants grow annual rings, a process of increasing their girth. Old leaves are shredded, and new tender leaves start growing. The young leaves bring a fresh appearance to both the tree and its surroundings. Nature has made spring an optimal season when all factors become congenial and perfect. The best time for proliferation, it is when adrenalin is produced at the superior level. The whole environment is drenched with colours of different hues and feelings of love and romance.
Seasonal Change Can Be Monotonous
After heavy monsoon, the season starts becoming harsh. As days progress the cold wave conditions make life miserable. Cold-blooded animals like frogs and lizards, which find it difficult to cope with the harshness of cold temperatures, go into hibernation. Their physical activities become almost null, decreasing the energy demand and helping them sustain during winter months. With the change of season, they also come out to add variety. Seasonal changes bring happiness, though, at times, they can be monotonous due to their prolonged period and repetitive weather conditions. It is scorching and sweltering hot during summers, heavy rains and deluges during monsoons and harsh cold during winters. Spring is the season when things and temperatures are ideal, thus filling joy and happiness in every part of the world.
Before We Finish
Before summing up, it would be pertinent to say that though every season is important and contributes significantly to the cause of life and its process, the spring season gives happiness, mood enhancement and ecstasy because of its optimal nature. With moderate temperature, pleasantly cool breeze, riots of bright colours and intoxicating ambience, the spring tops it all. Still, it would be unfair to grade seasons. Naturally, light can be realized only when one has experienced a long spell of darkness. So is the case with the weather as well. Thus, one needs to enjoy every creation of Mother Nature with equanimity.
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