Spring and “springtime” refer to the season, and to the ideas of rebirth, rejuvenation, renewal, and regrowth. This year’s spring season starts March 20th to June 20th.
The Beauty Of Spring
All over the world spring awakens animals, fresh buds bloom, and the earth comes to life again. Temperatures rise as the earth tilts toward the sun and the daylight increases as the days get longer. In most of the climates, rainfall increases. Many animals reproduce in the spring, when temperatures are warmer, and food is plentiful. Baby bunnies, ducklings, chipmunks, squirrels, and other adorable animals are born in spring. Studies have found that seeing cute animals can have positive effects on humans.
Spring brings green growth back to plants and trees. Depending on where you live, trees may begin sporting new leaves as early as mid-March. That successful spring leaf growth ensures a cool canopy to relax under during the summer. Plants convert sunlight, carbondioxide, and water into food, releasing oxygen in the process. That means as plants start to grow in the spring, they pull carbon out of the atmosphere, providing an important environmental service. This is an important factor in keeping cities comfortable.
The Benefits Of Spring
One study by a university found that spending time outside in the sunny spring weather is a mood booster and can change the way people think. The researcher found that being outdoors broadened participants’ minds, leaving them more open to new information and to be creative.
Several studies have shown that looking at flowers can make you happy. Another study from Rutgers University found that when participants were presented with a bouquet of flowers, it resulted in what scientists call a “true smile” a full 100 percent of the time. Seeing flowers had both “immediate and long-term effects” that resulted in elevated moods for days afterward.
Another benefit of spring is the many fruits and vegetables that are harvested this time of the year. Increasing your intake of more fruits and vegetables in your diet isn’t just good for the body, it’s good for the soul. A study of more than 12,000 Australians found that when people increased the amount of fruits and vegetables in their diet, they felt happier and had higher rates of life satisfaction.
Another study compared exercising outdoors with an indoor workout and found that outdoor exercise increased energy levels, made people feel revitalized, and decreased tension, among other positive effects. People who worked out in the fresh air also tended to say they enjoyed the experience more and would be likely to repeat it, suggesting that using nature as your gym during spring might help you stick with your exercise regimen.
Opening your windows and inviting the breeze into your home serves as an important way to ventilate indoor spaces, according to the EPA. A lack of ventilation can leads to an unhealthy concentration of indoor pollutants from sources like cleaning product fumes, certain furniture and building materials, and stoves which could pose a threat to your health and comfort.
Exposure to sunlight triggers your body to produce vitamin D, which keeps your bones strong. A European study found that people only need 10 minutes outside with a quarter of their bodies exposed to the spring sunshine to get an adequate daily dose of vitamin D.
The Celebrations In Spring
Spring is also a season of celebrations. The holidays celebrated during spring include April Fool’s Day, Earth Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Cinco de Mayo, and Arbor Day. Spring in the Christian tradition is celebrated by Easter, which recognizes the resurrection of Jesus Christ. People of the Jewish faith celebrate Passover during spring which is when the Jewish people were freed from slavery to Egypt. In Europe, Mayday celebrations are popular and the maypole dance is a popular folk festival with the pole symbolizing sacred trees, growth and regeneration.
People’s Thoughts On Spring
“The spring came suddenly, bursting upon the world as a child bursts into a room, with a laugh and hands full of flowers.”
– Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
“It’s spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you’ve got it, you want – oh, you don’t quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heartache, you want it so!”
– Mark Twain
“April hath put a spirit of youth in everything.”