It started with a gentle April morning, the kind that makes you feel like change is in the air. While on the gym bike, casually scrolling through my phone, I found myself in an unexpected deep-dive:

How do people around the world welcome spring?

One search turned into a world tour of rituals, scents, sounds.. and I realized spring cleaning isn’t just scrubbing and sorting.

It’s an invitation. A ritual. A reset.

Here’s where my little digital journey took me…

Greece – Clean Monday (Kathara Deftera)

You wake up in a quiet white-washed village on the Aegean coast. The air is crisp, bread is simple, and the sky is unusually blue. It’s Kathara Deftera—Clean Monday.

Windows are thrown open. Sheets flutter like sails. There’s olive oil and fresh herbs on the table, but no meat, no dairy.. just clean, simple food that mirrors the home’s reset. People aren’t just clearing out cupboards, they’re cleansing energy. Decluttering thoughts. Preparing for lighter days.

It’s not a purge. It’s a soft exhale.

Italy – Pulizie di Primavera

Picture a little Italian town waking up after winter. Cobblestone streets echo with morning footsteps. A grandmother in a floral apron opens her shutters and lets the sunlight pour in like gold.

Lemon water boils gently on the stove. Lavender bunches hang near windows. The smell of vinegar and fresh herbs fills the home as rugs are beaten on balconies and radios hum softly in the background.

This is Pulizie di Primavera.

Not a task—a ritual of renewal.

India – Ugadi, Gudi Padwa, Baisakhi

Imagine doorways adorned with fresh mango leaves. Women drawing intricate designs with rice flour at sunrise. Floors cleaned with turmeric water that stains the tiles golden.

The house glows with oil lamps and flowers—welcoming not just guests, but new beginnings. This is April in many parts of India, where spring cleaning isn’t just cleaning—it’s sacred. It’s making space for abundance, wealth, and well-being.

You don’t just clean the house—you prepare it to bloom.

Thailand – Songkran (April 13–15)

You’re walking through a sun-drenched street in Chiang Mai. Suddenly, a splash of water hits your shoulder—cold, surprising, joyful. Laughter everywhere. Songkran has begun.

It’s not chaos. It’s cleansing. Buckets, hoses, water guns—used not in war but in joy. Washing away bad luck. Cooling the heat of the past. Welcoming the Thai New Year with soaked clothes and light hearts.

Spring cleaning, but make it a festival.

Iran – Khaneh Tekani (Shaking the House)

Now imagine a courtyard filled with Persian rugs hung out to breathe. The scent of rosewater in the air. Sunlight bouncing off polished copper trays.

Every corner of the home is scrubbed, every drawer emptied and dusted. It’s Khaneh Tekani, literally “shaking the house.” But it’s not just dust that’s being shaken off—it’s heaviness, stagnation, the remnants of winter.

You shake the house, and with it—shake your spirit awake.

Jewish Culture – Passover Cleaning

Visualize a home softly lit at dusk. A quiet search under cushions and corners for the last bits of chametz—leavened bread. It’s deliberate, almost meditative.

Passover cleaning isn’t about perfection—it’s about intention. Removing what no longer belongs, stripping back to simplicity.

Because sometimes the clearest mind lives in the most minimal space.

It’s spring cleaning for the soul.

China – Spring Festival Cleaning

In bustling streets just before Lunar New Year, brooms sweep in rhythmic motion. Red decorations are prepped, lanterns are strung, and families clean with purpose.

Dust is sent out the door—not just for tidiness, but to chase away bad luck. With each swipe, you’re opening space for luck, fortune, harmony.

It’s not just cleaning. It’s energetic feng shui.

Japan – Osoji (The Big Cleaning)

A minimalist home with sliding paper doors. Tatami mats brushed clean. The quiet sound of water as dishes are washed, not hurriedly, but with full presence.

Even though Osoji happens in December, its echo lingers into spring. Every movement is intentional. Every drawer emptied is a meditation.

Because in Japan, the act of cleaning is the art of renewal.

Not just a clean home. A calm mind.

United States – Classic Spring Cleaning

Finally, picture a suburban home post-winter. Snow melted. Windows cracked open for the first time. Fresh air, bleach wipes, baskets labeled “donate” and “keep.”

It’s the Pinterest-clean moment. Closet reboots. Linen drawer edits. The “does this spark joy?” revolution.

Because here, spring cleaning is a tradition of action—and optimism.

You tidy up, because you’re ready to move forward.

My April Reset (Inspired by the World)

After this virtual world tour of lavender-scented halls, water-splashed streets, and turmeric-tinted tiles—I came home with more than curiosity. I came back with a vision.

A little routine. Inspired by tradition. Anchored in intention.

Morning:

• Warm lemon water (Italy vibes)

• One-line journal + sunlight through open windows

• 20–30 minutes of movement

• Wipe down one surface while a soft playlist plays

Afternoon:

• Declutter one corner (physical or digital)

• Brew mint or tulsi tea and snack mindfully (Middle Eastern calm)

Evening:

• Light incense or a candle (Iran/Thailand mood)

• 10-minute stretch + gratitude note

• Early sleep in a freshly made bed

What began as a few taps on a screen turned into a global lesson:

We don’t clean just to tidy.

We clean to make space—for clarity, for joy, for what’s next.

And what better time than April

to let the old out and let the light in?