What’s your favorite thing about spring? The sudden influx of green everywhere you look? The blooming flowers and blossoming trees? All the delicious produce that’s back in season, from asparagus, carrots, and peas to strawberries and rhubarb? Or maybe you simply love the fact that you can open your windows wide and spend more time outdoors now that the weather is warming up? Whatever you love most about spring, you can’t deny the season’s appeal. After cold and dreary winter, spring ushers in more light, color, and warmth. What’s not to love? If you’re not excited about springtime, scroll down to explore some fun facts about spring. You might find your love for the season growing like a beautiful tulip . . .
Fun Facts About Spring
Spring Fever is a real thing.
It may sound like the stuff of fiction, but spring fever actually exists! According to Scientific American, the general symptoms of this nebulous disease include “a flushed face, increased heart rate, appetite loss, restlessness, and daydreaming.” After weeks of dark, cold, low-energy winter, the sudden change of seasons can affect our moods. However, scientists are still studying why and how seasonal changes impact human behavior.
Spring used to be called lent.
If you’re Christian, you might hear the term lent and think of the 40 days leading up to and including the death of Jesus. But did you know that the entire season of spring was once known as lent? The term came from the old English word lengten, meaning “to make longer or greater in length.” It referred to the fact that days become longer in springtime, offering more daylight and less darkness. In the 1300s, the term was replaced by spring, referring to plants “springing up” from the earth in springtime.
Spring is filled with beloved holidays.
Although it doesn’t include the “holiday season,” spring certainly is a season filled with holidays. The following are some of the most popular spring holidays (in alphabetical order):
- April Fool’s Day
- Arbor Day
- Cinco de Mayo
- Earth Day
- Easter (a Christian holiday)
- Father’s Day
- Holi
- Mother’s Day
- Passover (a Jewish holiday)
- Persian New Year
- St. Patrick’s Day
Bees are more likely to swarm in spring.
During late spring, bees search for new places to build hives and reproduce. This is known as swarm season. It sounds scary, but actually, bees are less likely to sting you when they’re swarming. Why? They don’t have babies yet and they’re not defending a hive.
Persephone, the goddess of spring, was also the queen of the Underworld.
When’s the last time you brushed up on your Greek mythology? You might remember that Persephone is the goddess of spring, but did you know that she became the queen of the underworld? According to the famous myth, as she was gathering flowers in a meadow with her maidens, she reached down to pluck a beautiful flower. Just then, the ground below her feet opened up and Hades (the ruler of the Underworld) appeared in a four-horse chariot. He abducted her and took her back down to the Underworld to be his wife and his queen. To learn what happened next, read the full myth.
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We hope these fun facts about spring help you appreciate this beautiful season a little more than you already do. Or why not bust out these delightful facts during your next conversation with a friend? You’ll entertain and perhaps enlighten them!
Happy spring, everyone!
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