all the ways we welcome spring
Fresh corn, figs + picnic rugs marking the start of spring in Ilam, Iran
“That is one good thing about this world, there are always sure to be more springs.”
Spring in Tayebeh’s hometown, Iran
Bahar, Tayebeh’s sister, enjoying spring back home
Spring is finally here, bringing her sunshine, her bees and her flowering scents, as well as a bucketful of sweet memories of springs shared in faraway places.
Welcome to our stories.
![“This is my [Rawan’s] beautiful daughter Rinata, taken in my beautiful Iraqi countryside in spring time. She was just one year old here, happily playing and discovering in the beautiful weather after a long winter.”](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5bd58e18fb18200d7d6ea585/1630378602372-K3BSQXIYRQANPD3RKEZ8/rawan+spring.jpg)
“This is my [Rawan’s] beautiful daughter Rinata, taken in my beautiful Iraqi countryside in spring time. She was just one year old here, happily playing and discovering in the beautiful weather after a long winter.”
WROUD’S SYRIAN SPRING
Spring starts on the 1st of April every year and this date is the Assyrian new year too, so we always celebrate outside in very big parks, with very loud bands. We dance dabkeh and enjoy seeing friends and families as well as the lovely weather and the wonderful colours of the trees and flowers.
Spring brings smiles to faces after the very harsh winter.
ABEER’S SYRIAN SPRING
Spring to me is the time for change, time for rebirth and renewal. In Syria, the Jasmine, roses, lemon blossoms, almond blossoms, cherry blossoms and many more grow a lot during the spring. We mark the beginning of spring with the Arabic Mother’s Day, the 21st of April, celebrating with the family. The women usually make sweets, cakes, and tabouleh, then gather to celebrate and give gifts to the mums.
In Damascus, every spring we have a flower exhibition in ‘Tishreen Park,’ one of the city’s biggest public parks. The exhibition displays a lot of different kinds of flowers and plants, as well as products made by them, such as honey and soap.
Every spring we go to the fields around the city like AL Ghouta. You can see the ground is like a big fresh green carpet, full of yellow dots here and there, and the trees are like a girl wearing a summery white or pink dress, full of blossoms dancing on the tips of the branches with the wind.
We spend the day there, enjoying the fresh breeze and a BBQ, dancing and singing to our traditional songs. We can also buy fresh products directly from the farmers there, different fruits and veggies they grow in their fields.
SHADI’S SYRIAN SPRING
Spring is a season that reminds me of wonderful and beautiful memories full of joy and love for all people and family because in this season, flowers bloom to paint happiness. Happiness and joy, this season makes me feel energetic, energetic and inspired through my drawings on dishes, decorated with spring colours.
Shadi’s talents extend beyond his amazing cooking. He finds creativity in most things he approaches like plate decorating!
“I hope that love, joy, pleasure and roses fill people’s hearts. Let’s live in peace with each other forever.”
SALMA’S LEBANESE SPRING
‘Heaven on Earth’ - this is what our ancestors said, and this is how poets and writers flirt with its beauty. Spring in the mountains of my country Lebanon is like a bride in her white dress, crowned with a wreath of white flowers.
All the lovers in my country promise their girlfriends to marry in the spring, as they wait for the fields to wear their green dresses studded with beautiful colourful flowers and the warmth of the velvet nights fragrant with the jasmine flower and her soft scent.
Spring in Lebanon is hope, it’s life. It’s preparing for barbecue trips, where rivers and springs erupt from the snows of high mountains, and trees are filled with green buds and the flowers of citrus fruits that my country is famous for.
Spring in Lebanon is wild legumes that sprout from the wet ground, called by the shy spring sun. There, men, women and children gather and collect fresh grape leaves, eating them with a bowl of tabbouleh in the warm and picturesque outskirts of nature.
Spring in Lebanon is the farmers incubating their farms with all kinds of vegetables and ploughing them diligently and happily. They promise their children to trust in spring, as her sun brings goodness that is tender on the soil and grows the most delicious vegetables. When her soft, hot wind blows, it heralds the pollination of tree flowers.
Spring in Lebanon is all the fishermen in my country knowing that the season has come when the sea waves calm down and become soft and gentle against the shore. They smile as they prepare their boats for fishing trips, with the tunes of their songs dancing in the air as they prepare the nets and sip coffee together on the beach in the early mornings.
Spring in Lebanon is Heaven on Earth.
VERENA’S COLOMBIAN SPRING
Verena enjoying our Australian spring with her daughter Zuaad and lots of colour
Due to its localization very close to the equator and the tropical zone, Colombia doesn’t have seasons in the same way as Australia or northern countries. However, we do have two distinguishable seasons – the Wet season (we call it winter and there is lots of rain) and the Dry season (we call this summer as there is no rain), something similar to far northern Queensland.
Although Colombia doesn’t have spring season in itself, we do have a city that we call the ‘City of the Eternal Spring.’ Medellin is a city with a template climate all year round where a variety of flowers make it worthy of its nickname. It is the home of an Annual Flowers Festival where the event begins with the ‘silleteros’ - the flower vendors who make amazing and colourful flower arrangements to exhibit. So whenever you want to enjoy some spring days in Colombia, you can always travel to Medellin. There you can enjoy the spring weather, template climate and delicious food such as Bandeja Paisa, a traditional Colombian food that shows the typical products from the region and has all the vital nutrients.
Living in Australia, I have experienced spring as a season, enjoying it by cooking the bandeja paisa for my family and friends, visiting the many gardens in Victoria and having picnics. I love eating the fresh fruits and natural juices here, and wearing more colourful clothes.
SHAYAMA’S SRI LANKAN SPRING
As an island state, Sri Lanka has a very tropical climate, and is called the land of eternal summer. The ‘good/spring season’ takes place from September to November. These months are the inter-monsoon period, sitting between the two main monsoon seasons. During this time, many people travel to Sri Lanka to visit the beauty of my land. Lots of people spend their days on the beautiful beaches. The trees are filled with different types of unique and juicy fruits that most people have never eaten before.
The foods in this season will make your mouth water just by smelling them.
“In spring we play with kites.”
TIFF’S MALAYSIAN SPRING
Nasi Ulam, a traditional Malaysian dish served in spring
I want to share the food of my hometown during Spring, the types of food we grow up with. Nasi Ulam, it’s a steamed rice dish served with various herbs like the leaves of pegagan (centella asiatica) or kemangi (lemon basil) with vegetables and spices and accompanied with several Malay side dishes including seafood as well. It is served with budu, a fermented anchovies sauce with a drop of lime juice, chilli and onions.
This is called Mangosteen – in my own language Malay, we call it Manggis. It’s very famous in Malaysia.
“I still remember this fruit, as Spring is the only season to get it and sometimes, it’s very difficult to find. Before my grandfather’s last breath, he wanted to eat Manggis. ”
