Spring Day
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Spring Day is a holiday marking the coming of the spring season, which takes place in different countries, on varying dates.
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[edit] Northern Hemisphere
[edit] Albania
Albania celebrates the lunar Spring Day (Albanian: Dita e Verës or Dita e Luleve) on March 14, and from 2004 it is a national holiday. It is an old pagan practice, particularly popular in the city of Elbasan, Central Albania.
According to some sources, Dita e Verës derives from the Arbëresh, an Albanian community that lives in Italy since the fifteenth century. On 14 March, the arbëresh of the Italian coast, collect a tuft of grass roots and soil, bringing it home to commemorate the anniversary of their emigration from Albania. In fact, some sources date back this celebration to the ancient Illyria. At that time, the feast was celebrated on March 1, which according to the Julian calendar, corresponded to the first day of the year.
Pilgrimages were made to the highest peaks in the Albanian mountains to be as close as possible to the Sun God and pray for the goodness and prosperity of the new year. The great fire crossed by men and young people symbolized the end of winter. Instead, wreaths and garlands on the doors of the houses wished good luck. The purity of the celebration has weakened over the centuries but came to this day thanks to the tradition preserved in the city of Elbasan.
The ritual of the Dita e Verës begins on the previous day with the preparation of sweets: the revani and ballakume, the blended butter, sugar, corn flour and egg yolks cooked in a wood oven. During the evening ballakume, dried figs, walnuts, turkey legs, boiled eggs, simite (a typical sandwich of the city) are distributed to members of the family. The oldest woman of the house remains awake at night and goes from room to room to put down grass on the cushions of couples, young people and children, a ritual that symbolizes the regeneration and quickening.
On the morning of March 14, the elderly leave the door open as a sign of generosity, a pitcher filled with fresh water and take home a clump of green grass. The youngest fertilizes the orange and olive trees, but the smaller ones are the first to make the "lucky" visits to neighbors and relatives who give them turkey legs, dried figs and nuts. Finally lunch on March 14, should be eaten outdoors in the company of friends and relatives.
[edit] Estonia
Estonia celebrates Spring Day on May 1.
[edit] Iran
Iran celebrates Spring day at March 21 as its only new year celebration. This national celebration is called Nowruz in Iran.
[edit] Southern Hemisphere
[edit] Argentina
Argentina celebrates the beginning of spring, conventionally, on 21 September, one or two days before the actual spring equinox. This day also marks Student's Day.
[edit] South Africa
South Africa celebrates Spring Day on September 1. It is the only day that most schools allows casual dress instead of the normal school uniform.
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