The spring cleaningthe custom of clean and renew domestic spaces on the occasion of the arrival of the new season, is not just a way of saying nor a habit of reorganizing for need for cleaningbut it has historical and cultural roots which are rooted in some of the oldest cultures in the world and which have led this concept to consolidate itself in general culture today.
For example, the Jews, since ancient times, have cleaned the house from traces of yeast before Easter – which falls near the beginning of spring – as do the peoples of Persian tradition, who link cleaning to the celebration of Nowruztheir New Year’s Eve, also corresponding to spring. Same thing happens in Chinawhere the house is cleaned to “wipe away” evil spirits on the occasion of the Lunar New Year, just before spring.
Spring cleaning in the tradition of Jewish Passover and the origins of the name
One of the oldest references to cleaning in conjunction with the spring period is linked to Jewish Passover tradition, Passoverwhich corresponds to the first full moon after the spring equinox: before this anniversary, according to the Jewish scriptures, it is necessary to remove from the house every trace of chametzor leavened bread and flour products. This gesture reminds us that the haste with which the Israelites had to flee Egypt to free themselves from slavery was so great that they could not even wait for the bread to rise.
In fact, in the book of Exodus, chapter 12, we read
“For seven days you will eat unleavened bread; from the first day you will make leaven disappear from your homes”
To clean every trace it was therefore necessary to do some real cleaning which, over time, started the tradition of “spring cleaning”.
The association with Nowruz, the Persian New Year
On the occasion of Nowruzthe Persian New Year, celebrated by Kurdish and Iranian communities around the world, is celebrated the tradition of the so-called “shake the house”, a real one rite of passage which plans to refresh and clean the entire domestic environment.
Nowruz is celebrated according tospring equinox: the new year begins at the exact moment in which the sun crosses the celestial equator, therefore on March 20th or 21st.
Precisely for this reason, even in this culture, cleaning is associated with springwhich roughly coincides with the start of the new year.
On the occasion of Nowruz, therefore, blankets and fabrics are washed, spaces are aired, hidden corners are cleaned, ruined objects and spaces are repaired, clothes are renewed for the coming new year: these gestures symbolize the renewal and letting go of what is “old” to open up to the “new”, similarly to what happens in the Western New Year with rites and traditions connected to it.
Cleaning before the Lunar New Year in China
Even on the occasion of the Chinese New Year, which is celebrated on the occasion of the second new moon after the winter solstice, it is tradition to do thorough cleaningcalled “wiping away the dust”.
Sweeping the dust, in fact, evil spirits and bad luck are swept away which, otherwise, would remain nestled in the corners of the house.
Generally, the Chinese Lunar New Year falls in February, and cleaning must be done before the celebrations, because sweeping after celebrating would mean sweeping away good luck.
Even in the Chinese tradition, therefore, we arrive in spring with a clean house and therefore “free” from evil spirits and intentions.
