Today is the first day of spring!

This year, spring weather surprised us earlier than we could have expected. Storks arrived in Poland as early as March 1, heralding the end of winter, and temperatures close to 20 degrees Celsius followed, allowing us to momentarily forget about winter coats. However, it is only today, March 21, that we officially welcome calendar spring, and with it returns the tradition of drowning Marzanna. This time, let it be in an eco-friendly version – as an expression of care for clean waters and respect for the nature awakening to life.

The first day of spring 2025 comes earlier than the calendar suggests

The start of astronomical spring does not always coincide with the traditionally accepted calendar date of March 21. A good example of this discrepancy is the year 2025. The spring equinox, also known as the vernal equinox, is the moment when the plane of the Earth’s equator intersects with the center of the Sun’s disk, causing day and night to last nearly the same – about 12 hours. This phenomenon occurs when the Sun is exactly above the equator and moves from the southern to the northern hemisphere. This year, the spring equinox took place on March 20 at 10:01 AM Polish time, when the Sun reached the so-called Aries point on the ecliptic.

The date of the equinox is not fixed because Earth’s orbit around the Sun takes approximately 365.25 days, which causes this event to shift over time. It can fall on any day between March 20 and 22. From this moment, sunlight gradually begins to dominate, and the days become increasingly longer.

A tradition with care for the environment

The spring equinox has played an important role in human culture for centuries – both in a practical sense, related to the cycle of agricultural work, and in a symbolic sense, marking the rebirth of nature.
One of the most characteristic elements of the first day of spring is the drowning of Marzanna – a straw effigy symbolizing winter, illness, and everything we want to leave behind. In last year’s article, I described how people bid farewell to winter along rivers and lakes in a joyful atmosphere, also highlighting a more eco-conscious approach to this tradition.

This aspect is worth emphasizing once again: instead of using plastic decorations, foil, or synthetic materials, we can make Marzanna effigies from natural materials – straw, twigs, linen, or dried plants. Such an effigy, when thrown into the water, does not pollute the river or harm the ecosystem, decomposing naturally and harmonizing with the awakening nature. How to prepare one? Download our PDF and get inspired!

The richness of spring customs

However, the first day of spring is not just about Marzanna – it is also tied to traditions found in the Slavic festival of Jare Gody, which lasted several days and took place around the time of the spring equinox. It was a joyful farewell to winter and a welcome to a new life cycle. One of the more interesting customs was the ritual sweeping of yards, especially popular in rural areas.

Our ancestors believed that energetic cleaning – both of the yard and the home – could literally “drive out” winter and all associated evils. Brooms were put to work, and along with the dust and garbage, stagnation and cold were symbolically swept away. Today, this custom may seem archaic, but it has survived in many homes in the form of spring cleaning – we open windows, let in fresh air, and prepare our spaces for the new season.

There were also more joyful rituals. Slavs celebrated spring with dances and songs around bonfires. These rituals were not only festive but, according to old beliefs, also magical in nature: joyful dances were meant to bring favorable weather and ensure bountiful harvests. Nowadays, bonfires are rarely lit for ritual purposes, but the idea of celebrating the arrival of spring through music and movement remains alive. In schools, children prepare performances themed around spring, and adults often reminisce about past customs in which they themselves took part, dancing around the straw effigy symbolically drowned in water.

Water also played an important role in the rituals of Jare Gody. Sprinkling it on others had a purifying effect and was believed to promote health and fertility. Water was thought to bring strength and renewal. Over time, this custom evolved into Śmigus-Dyngus, with a slightly different meaning. Young men would douse marriageable girls with water, and a wet dress on Easter Monday was a sign of impending marriage. And although today we associate this custom with Easter, it has its roots in pagan spring rituals, where water served as a bridge between beliefs and everyday life.

Another tradition that has survived to this day is the painting of Easter eggs. While today these are mainly associated with Easter celebrations, in many regions of Poland egg decorating began as early as March as a symbol of awakening life. Each design painted on the shell had a specific meaning – from protection against evil forces to ensuring prosperity and abundance in the coming season. Nowadays, Easter eggs serve mainly a decorative function, but they still remind us of the deep symbolism and power of tradition.

main photo: Arseny Togulev / Unsplash