Spring Cleaning and Purging

Spring cleaning. It’s a big job, and one not everyone likes to do, but one I graciously and aggressively tackle each year because it means warmer weather is on the way and I can finally open the windows and chase away the dredges of winter! It also helps to chase away the winter blahs. Fresh curtains at the windows, cleaner windows (unless they are at nose level...that cleaning job is done almost once a week around this place), fresh carpets, more organized cupboards and closets...the list is almost endless. I love getting rid of the junk that has been just lying around...time to go!

According to several resources, the art of spring cleaning dates back to the Iranian Nowrus (there are various spellings and pronunciations). Nowruz marks the first day of spring and the beginning of the Persian/Iranian Calendar. Iranians continue the practice of "khooneh takouni" which literally means "shaking the house" just before the New Year. Everything in the house is thoroughly cleaned, from the drapes to the furniture.

Another resource credits the Jewish culture which prepares their homes each spring for the celebration of Passover. In Greece, and other Orthodox nations, it is traditional to clean the house thoroughly either right before or during the first week of Great Lent, which is referred to as Clean Week. Others credit the spring cleaning tradition to our early American Settlers. And with good reason: homes were heated by wood fires, and during the long, cold winters, the wood smoke would permeate the entire household. Come spring, and at last the linens and carpets could be cleaned and aired outside, and walls and windows could be scrubbed clean.

No matter who gets the credit for its early beginnings, the tradition continues today in many cultures, all around the globe. I love starting fresh...and getting more organized. I love cleaning inside and out. I love new beginnings...the smell of fresh...the look of fresh. (The only cupboard I hate doing is the one in which all the plastic ware resides. That’s Cait’s job and she is not here, so it has to wait until May). =)

Hurry Spring Hurry!

"Spring is the time of year when it is summer the sun, and winter in the shade."
~ Charles Dickens