After the dry, cold winter comes the floral, energetic spring. We all welcome the spring season in different ways. Among Indians, the Assamese welcome spring by celebrating the festival Bihu. Some people in Hindu communities welcome it with Makar Sankranti while Punjabis do it with Lohri. 

 Spring is welcomed with new festivals and enthusiasm. Spring for the Alaskans not only means the end of the long, cold winter but can also prove highly profitable. The Nenana Ice Classic is an annual lottery competition in which people have to guess the date and time on which the ice on the Tanana River will break up. 

In the spring season, flowers blossom. In Japan, the flowering of cherry blossoms – or Sakura – creates headlines. The reporters keep a track of when and where the flowers appear. People of Japan organise outdoor parties to ‘view’ these beautiful flowers― this ritual is known as hanami. Several other countries, including the United States and Canada, also hold festivals to welcome the blooms. 

The advent of spring is also felt by animals. The arrival of baby animals shows that spring has arrived. Female bighorn sheep, found in mountainous regions of North America, move to high ledges to give birth away from most predators. New-born bighorn lambs are immediately active and can walk and climb within a matter of hours. There’s nothing quite like the excitement of seeing your first bumblebee or butterfly of the year. We all love spring because during this season nature is dressed in her best finery.

thespace.ink has collaborated with ‘Word Munchers’, a creative writing platform that trains and encourages kids and youngsters to hone their creative writing skills. thespace.ink will be publishing two short essays by students of ‘Word Munchers’ every Saturday.