ANNI TEMPORA / PRIMAVERA

Early spring has a delicate scent – of cherry blossom, primrose, daffodils and crocus – an olfactory promise of what is soon to come. To see the early spring flowers gradually appear in the ground, after months of darkness and cold is to be reminded of the metamorphosis that defines nature’s very being, and of how the changing of seasons is an endless cycle. At times, we become frustrated and attempt to rush things, but in vain, as things have a tendency to happen when and where they are supposed to, neither sooner nor later. As Ecclesiastes 3:1–8, says, 

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build.” 

In this biblical perspective of the cycle of life, describing the universal plan for when and how things are interconnected, spring is the time to plant and to build. This is when we sow what we later will harvest. To respect the seasons and not rush things is to remain grounded in the flow of life. Not everything needs to happens at once, nor should it. 

There is a youthfulness associated with spring that is not present in any other season of the year. The air is fresher and the light has a peculiar sense of brightness.

The lightness of spring is impossible to ignore. Even in the midst of winter, the sky will start to appear slightly brighter, and the sun will remain up for just a few moments longer than the day before. Several times, spring will appear to have come, only to be washed away by yet another snow storm. But one day, the flowers will not disappear in snow but instead grow stronger, stretching their bodies up towards the sky. The black-and-white mise en scène will be replaced by technicolour. But spring is not yet summer. There is a youthfulness associated with spring that is not present in any other season of the year. The air is fresher and the light has a peculiar sense of brightness. All colours are subtler and there is a curiosity and sense of novelty in the transient atmosphere – lasting only a few, precious months in-between winter and summer. For many, spring is a time for impatience, longing for lazy summer days to finally arrive, but for others, spring holds its own unique qualities. As stoic philosopher Seneca has reminded us, that to fear the approaching darkness of the night is to lose sight of the qualities of the day, and to fear the coming dawn is to not enjoy the night. All times and all places have their own value, evident for those who make an effort to be present, but if we constantly think of the next step, we lose sight of where we already are in the moment.

Spring is when life returns, awakening that which seemed dead and breathing new energy into the world.

To experience spring is to feel the body being rejuvenated, tightening the bow before shooting the arrow of summer. Edna St Vincent Millay once noted, in one of her most famous poems that the coming of spring makes it, “apparent that there is no death”. What she meant was that with the return of life after the death of winter, the cycle of life becomes visible. Another way to think of it is to imagine a deep, green forest, untouched by human hand for centuries. Among the vibrant, green trees, there are dead ones, uprooted by strong winds or sudden tempests they have fallen to the ground. They appear dead, but upon closer inspection, they are in fact full of life, giving nourishment to microorganisms and insects as they in this way become part of the next cycle in an ever-continuing flow. Spring is when life returns, awakening that which seemed dead and breathing new energy into the world. Even in the darkness of winter, there is a hidden seed, that one day will drive the force of spring into bloom. We need to accept the impermanence of nature in all forms, including our own, and to not fear but to cherish this change, as it is the very foundation for our very existence. The opposite of death is not life, but birth and therefore, spring is the mirror reflection of fall.

In regards to fashion, winter wool will be replaced with cotton and dark colours with pastels. Skirts become shorter and sensible shoes are put away, usually in favour of sandals. Cities open up once again after months of quiet and rest, restaurants place their tables and chairs on the sidewalks, while florists offer large bouquets of yellow mimosa, only fully alive for a day or two before withering away, in themselves a symbol of spring’s ephemeral qualities. It is a time of expectations, hopes and dreams. For many, it also marks a symbolic threshold in life, as spring is usually the last semester of school or university before graduation, and thus the last season of youth before entering adulthood. This is also what makes spring so bittersweet, soon replaced with the intense summer sun.

As March turns into April, in anticipation of May, the colours gradually grow in intensity, like a symphony where more and more instruments will start joining in.

There is not just one singular spring but several. The early spring is so subtle that not everyone even notices its arrival. During those first few weeks, the nights turn to a light pink and the trees carry an almost transparent shade of green in their leaves. As March turns into April, in anticipation of May, the colours gradually grow in intensity, like a symphony where more and more instruments will start joining in. Towards the end of the concert, when May is about to become June, spring is in its most powerful state, its warm winds opening windows and doors, making people leave their jackets and coats at home as they spend more and more time outside. In just a few days, summer will make spring obsolete, but for now, the crescendo of the season is to not only be enjoyed but celebrated.

To listen to

Vivaldi – Spring

Donna Summer – Spring Affair

To read

Joan Didion – The Year of Magical Thinking

E. M. Forster – A Room with a View

To watch

Charles Walters: Easter Parade (1948)

Erich Rohmer: A Tale of Springtime (1990)