Oh, spring with no end and no edge –-
A dream without edge and without end
I recognise you, life! I welcome you
And I greet you with the clinking of my shield!

Alexander Blok
1907

Spring is not only a season of the year, but also a state of mind. How many hopes, dreams of new feelings, new meetings and discoveries this time of year prepares for us! Time passes quickly –  it seems that we have just recently celebrated the New Year, and the calendar already shows March, the first month of spring. Nature awakens, a new cycle of life begins, the world around us acquires new colours. We are awaiting spring – the time of renewal and love, joyful events and pleasant emotions.

Almost all nations have a tradition of welcoming spring. This season has long been a symbol of new life and the awakening of nature from a long winter sleep. Our ancestors believed that not only snow drifts, but also all misfortunes and illnesses would leave with winter.

Different countries celebrate spring in their own way. In Russia, Maslenitsa, the day that marks the boundary between winter and spring, is a celebration of spring arrival.
Mărțișor (Romanian: Mărțișor, from Romanian: martie, "March") is a traditional spring festival in Moldova and Romania, celebrated on the 1^st of March. On this day, people give each other small boutonnieres in the form of flowers made of white and red threads. This decoration, as well as the holiday, is called a Mărțișor.

In Bulgaria and Northern Macedonia there is a holiday Baba Marta – on this day it is customary to give similar boutonnieres, called there martenitsa.

Fallas (Spanish: Las Fallas) is a festival of the Valencian Community in eastern Spain, held from 15 to 19 March each year. Fallas is a festival of fire, so fireworks can be seen throughout the festival and firecrackers called "masquerletas" are constantly exploding.

Spring is celebrated in India in a truly spectacular way. Holi is the festival of spring, symbolizing the arrival of sunshine and the joy of nature in full bloom, one of the most colorful events of Hinduism and the most important day of the Bengali calendar. It is celebrated on the full moon of the month of Phalguna, which falls in February – March.

Hanami (花見, "flower viewing") is the Japanese traditional custom of enjoying the transient beauty of cherry blossoms. It is a ritual, not to mention a social tradition, of Japanese origin that is celebrated every spring.

Hederlez is a spring festival celebrated by many Turkic peoples. It is especially celebrated by Crimean Tatars and Gagauz.

With the arrival of spring and warmth in the air, there is a renewed vibe of love, romance and desire. There is a need to act, to soar, to hit a new peak and to be happy. Music can take our thoughts to a marvellous past or to a fancy future. Or maybe we should stop in the present and catch the moment?

Like any other music, spring music can be of many different genres and styles. It can be gentle and calm, with emphasis on melody and harmony, or energetic and lively, with bright percussion and bass lines. It often exploits themes of nature, renewal and rebirth, as well as romantic and nostalgic motifs.

We are sharing our selection of compositions with high spirits, spring mood and bright energy
and introducing spring flowers from the museum collection section Lapidary and Ivory Works of Art .

On the cover: Vase with snowdrops. Daum Freres manufactory. France, Nancy. First quarter of the 20^th century.

Ref.:
https://proza.ru/2021/03/28/1402
http://www.symbolizm.ru/index.php/nature/212-springrenaissance
https://www.sb.by/articles/pir-na-ves-mir-16022018.html
https://1811stores.com/blog/vdokhnovenie-1811/vesennie-motivy-v-klassicheskoy-muzyke/