Easter greeting from Greece

Happy Easter

Spring in Romania

Celebrated on 1 March, when the entire world rejoices the beginning of spring, “Martisor” is a beautiful Romanian custom consisting in a little gift called “martisor” offered by any man to all the women in his life.

        On 1st March Romania is a truly spectacle, the scene of thousands little stalls with twisted red-white strings and original trinkets. From beautiful handmade pieces to silver charms, ingenious figurines, ecological amulets, elegant brooches, vintage  or fashionable jewels, the vendors exhibit their merchandise offering men a great range of gifts to choose from.

        The first 9 days of spring are called “Babe” and they are very important for Romanians. There is a tradition in our country, besides many others, which persuades every single person to pick a day and if that day will be beautiful and sunny and so will be the entire year for the person who choose it.

 —    9 March represents the day of the 40 saints called “Mucenici” (martyrs) or “mosi”- old men. The “40 Mucenici” or “44 Mucenici”- in some areas of the country, is celebrated by almost all Romanians.Women are baking human shape cakes for the entire family while a few are taking to the church and given to the poor.person who chose it.—On 9 March people, especially men, should drink 40 (44) glasses of wine and during the year, the wine will turn into blood and power.

        Palm Sunday is a Christian moveable feast which always falls on the Sunday before Easter Sunday. The feast commemorates the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem in the days before his Passion.—The day before people gather willow branches, tie them in bundles and go to church to be sanctified by a priest. After sanctification, the branches called 'mâţişori' (approx. 'kitties') are taken home by the faithful to adorn with the icons, windows, doors, entrances.

        The Paparuda "Rain Caller" is the ritual celebrated in Spring on a date that varies from place to place.  It is an old magical dance invoking rain, this customs survived to the present day in many villages of Romania. The children knit coronets, adorning them with ribbons. Then they dance, going from house to house. The hostess throws water and milk after them. The children and the young people have to receive a coin or wheat, corn, flour or bean. 

Spring in Greece

Nature in blossom, Greece in celebration.

Dazzling sunshiny days tempt us to rush to green fields, meadows in full bloom, gurgling rivers and still lakes. Spring is the time when Mother Nature strokes Earth with its colours and aromas and creates a dreamy atmosphere all over Greece.

But why does spring come? How does it happen? Let me tell you an ancient Greek myth and find out….

Demeter, Goddess of Agriculture and daughter of Cronus and Rhea, had a very beautiful daughter named Persephone. One day, while Persephone was playing in the fields, Hades, God of the Underworld, saw her and kidnapped her. He wanted to marry her and make her live with him in the Underworld. No one knew what had happened to Persephone. Hades locked her in a beautifully decorated room in the Hall of Hades. He brought her all kinds of delicious food but Persephone refused to eat. She had heard that if you ate anything in Hades, you could never leave. So she started crying in despair.  Her mother, Demeter, heard her cries but did not know where she was. Distressed by this disappearance, Demeter left all the harvest die and as a result, mass famine struck. Zeus felt that this could not go on but did not know what to do. One day while Apollo, the God of Light and Sun, was making his rounds through the Underworld, he spotted Persephone down there and reported the finding to Zeus. Zeus then sent Hermes, the messenger God, to bring Persephone back. Unfortunately, Hades had tricked Persephone and persuaded her to eat six pomegranate seeds. This trickery bound her to return to the underworld for six months every year.

That's why we have seasons. Every spring, Demeter makes sure flowers are blooming and crops are growing and the fields are green with welcome. Every fall, when Persephone returns to the Underworld, Demeter ignores the crops and flowers and lets them die. Each spring, Demeter brings everything to life again, ready to welcome her daughter's return.

I love this story…there is something magical about it…and of course I love spring…every spring I see things in a different way.... I feel optimistic and happy and I smile more often…it feels like I am celebrating Nature along with Demeter and Persephone….

Popi, Comenius team, Greece

Spring in Poland

Spring in Poland starts on 21st March. It's the start of the growing season. Everything feels new and fresh with the arrival of spring. We love the smell of change in the air.

There are a lot of yellow daffodils around in spring. Among the first flowers to blossom are also tulips. These beautiful flowers come in all kinds of colors: pink, yellow, white, purple, and red tulips pop up very quickly once the ground is warm and loose. The grass that reappears in spring is a bright green color.Trees produce flowers and leaves. The blossoming trees attract bees and other insects that hurry from one flower to another.

In Poland we celebrate April Fool’s Day on 1^st April. It is celebrated with jokes, tricks, and costumes. This holiday is largely celebrated by children.

On Easter, which is the main spring festival in our country,Christiansin Poland celebrate the Ressurection (= the coming to life again) of Jesus Christ, the founder of Christianity. According to Christian beliefs, he was the Son of God. Easter is always on a Sunday, but the date varies from year to year. Symbols of rebirth, new life, and fertility are common Easter decorations. These include the Easter bunnies and decorated eggs. It’s also traditional to wear new spring clothes on Easter.Easter is also a time for holidays, schools in Poland close for several days.

In Poland we decorate Easter eggs before Easter. On Easter Saturday we put the eggs, some meat, some bread and some salt into a basket and take it to church. On Easter Sunday we share the eggs and have breakfast with the whole family. Easter Monday is a special day. People throw water on people. It’s an old Easter Monday tradition. You can get very wet.

Happy Easter!

Agnieszka and Polish team

Spring in Latvia

Both ends of the year are white, and the middle is green - this is how national poet Ojārs Vācietis described Latvia.

Latvia's climate is our wealth, because Latvia is located in a geographical zone that allows us to enjoy all 4 seasons: winter, spring, summer and autumn.

Spring in Latvia sometimes comes in late February, but sometimes winter resign in April.

Usually the nature wakes up in late March or April, when the first migratory birds return and bushes and flowers blossom in forests.

“I am a spring girl,” I keep saying this year. The reason might be the absence of the winter; I am simply tired of the dominating grey and brown colours in the nature almost since October. Or the reason might be my birthday what I have in early spring. The first warm sunbeams, the freshness that is felt in the air and the birch juice make me wake up. There is something magic felt in the nature when the plants start opening their buds, when the birds start twittering their mighty songs and the first flowers appear above the earth greeting the sun and winter exhausted souls.

At last I have understood my likeness towards the yellow colour- the yellow spring colour that first tiny dandelions have.

Spring gives me so many unforgettable sensations – the awakening of nature, lilac and apple trees in blossom, the twittering of birds, beautiful spring flowers.

I am a spring girl…

Jolanta, Comenius team, Latvia