​In April, before Easter, “spring cleaning” is carried out in hundreds of thousands of houses in Romania: windows and curtains are washed, pillows and blankets are aired, furniture is cleaned and carpets are swept. This is what people who lived two or three millennia ago did in their homes, and there are examples from many parts of the world and from different cultures, but people did not clean just to get rid of the mess…

In some houses, this “operation” of “cleaning” could last more than a week, and in those days when there were no vacuum cleaners and washing machines, there were no easy days.

The idea of ​​cleaning the house and yard after winter dates back to the ancient world, and it’s not just about the need to clean up dirt, it also has cultural significance.

40 years ago, there were queues for carpet machines from block to block, and in almost every house there were disputes between parents (who needed the help of children) and children (who tried to avoid as many related jobs as possible to remove the dust accumulated during the winter).

Before light bulbs appeared in all homes and modern heating systems were installed, everything was difficult. In very cold winters, people could not ventilate often (the house would be too cold), and the air in the rooms was unbearable in March or April, when the heat came, months later, when soot accumulated from wood (or other materials used for heating ). The problem remained when the first oil and then gas lamps appeared.

Serious cleaning was necessary, and the house was also repaired in the spring, if in winter, for example, the roof was damaged by the weight of snow or if the wall was blown down by the wind. We must not forget that the past winters were harsh, not at all like the last 10 years.

On a symbolic level, this cleanliness with the onset of heat was seen as a new beginning, as a transition from the monotony of winter to spring, which brought with it a lot of work, but also much warmer and sunnier days.

We know about spring house cleaning from ancient Persian, Chinese and Jewish traditions.

Nowruz – the Persian New Year – is a holiday during which people in Iran today jump over bonfires, cook special dishes, make a small shrine at home or go to temples.

This celebration has been around for three millennia and there is still a tradition that translates to “shaking the house” and residents wash their clothes, blankets and textiles to be clean before the big celebration.

In China, at the beginning of spring, it was also a tradition to sweep the house with a sense of responsibility, believing that after you sweep away the dust, luck and prosperity will remain. It was important to sweep before Chinese New Year, because if you did it after, it was considered to “sweep” good luck, not just unwanted dust.

One of the first mentions of spring cleaning refers to the ancient Jewish holiday of Pesach, which was held in March or April. The holiday symbolizes the release from Egyptian slavery and the exit from Egypt of the sons of Israel led by Moses and 40 years of wandering in the desert.

Since bread and leavened products are not eaten during this holiday, the household sweeps to remove the crumbs of unleavened bread. This ritual sweeping symbolizes the haste with which the Israelites had to flee Egypt before their harvest would allow them to bake bread.

For Catholic believers, the ritual cleansing of the altar takes place on Holy Thursday of Holy Week.

Nowadays, everything has changed thanks to electricity, light bulbs, vacuum cleaners and washing machines. Cleaning can be done faster and much better.

Over the past 10 years, tens of thousands of spring cleaning videos have appeared on YouTube, some of which have received hundreds of thousands of views. There’s a ton of stuff out there, from “how-to’s” on how to clean like a book in April to videos poking fun at people who go overboard cleaning every nook and cranny.

There have also been memes, as well as cleaning “marathons”, in which teams of people with a lot of energy want to try to clean as many houses as possible in a certain time.

There are tons of videos where people explain where to start vacuuming at home, what to avoid, which vacuum is better than another, or why you have to do everything by hand.

Sources: National Geographic, Medium.com, countryliving.com

Photo source: Dreamstime.com