Spring is in the Air

I know it's only January, but I am eager for spring right now. I work in fashion retail, so all the spring lines are coming in now. Bright pinks, greens, blue and coral in floral patterns adorn the shop floor, while the January sale gets rid of the old winter wardrobe. I have to wear whatever's on the shop floor, so that means I'm sporting spring wear despite the cold. We are in the midst of the coldest time of year in Britain, and I am hoping for a sprinkle of snow at some point, but 2014 was the warmest year since records began, so I'm not gonna get my hopes up. I have noticed lots of green shoots coming out of the cold wet ground, and they look like early daffodils. Well, as soon as I see crocuses in bloom, I'll know it's definitely spring.

In the olden days, February was actually considered the beginning of spring, and until the 17th century, this was formally celebrated with Candlemas on the 2nd of February. Candlemas is the Christian festival of the presentation of Jesus at the temple and the purification of Mary, as she would have been considered "unclean" for so many days after giving birth. There is however some indication that a pre-Christian festival may have existed on this date, to celebrate the opening of spring. The Venerable Bede records February as "sol-monath" or "the month of cakes", so named because it is the month when special cakes are given as offerings to the deities of Anglo-Saxon England. In medieval Irish texts, the 1st of February is called Imbolc, a festival to mark the beginning of spring. Imbolc can be spelled in various ways, and is thought to derive from the proto-Indo-European word for purification. The Romans also performed purification rituals at this time of year, naming February after the festival of Februa, which was succeeded by the festival of Lupercalia. Why would purification be important at this time of year? It's difficult to relate to the agrarian lifestyle of pre-industrial Europe, but I imagine that the season of sowing new seeds and delivering baby lambs would have required rituals to foster team spirit during a challenging time of year. 

For modern Europeans, with all the convenience of technological advancement, this time of year is not so much of a challenge. We have a lot to be grateful for in the comfort of our well-lit and heated homes. We have the luxury of supermarkets to supply everything we could possibly need. Perhaps this is a good time to remind ourselves of the hardships our ancestors faced, and to think about the consequences of our consumerist lifestyle today. Is there something we could do to leave less of a carbon footprint on the earth? Is there something we could do to consume less and to lead a more simple life, in tune with the needs of our environment? Could we purify ourselves of our bad habits? Could we blossom into a better society, a more enlightened world? 

Reflecting upon the cycle of the seasons, we can reflect upon our personal impact upon the biosphere, and our own internal cycles of growth and decay. We are not separate from nature, we are part of it all, we are a product of nature just like the fruits and flowers, rivers and rocks. Remember your place as part of an infinite tapestry of life. Be humble for you are made of earth. Be noble for you are made of stars.