Cherry blossom and Fuji Mount, Japan

The Ancient City of Taizhou, China

Since moving to Sweden I have always had difficulty in accepting the Swedish concept of spring being the months of March, April and May. I know, “When in Rome…” or as we say in Chinese “Ru Xiang Sui Su” (入乡随俗) - but accepting March as belonging to spring is a step too far for me I’m afraid!  And it seems I’m not alone in this belief…

Take the city of Uppsala for example, famous for its majestic cathedral, ancient university - and of course Yocha Studio! The last day of April is known to most Swedes as Walpurgis Eve (or Valborg in Swedish, which sounds suspiciously like ‘vår’ ‘börja’, the Swedish for spring beginning). However, in Uppsala the day is universally known as ‘Sista April’ – the last day of April – and is a celebration of the coming of spring. It’s also the biggest day in any Uppsala student’s social calendar. Events include rafting down the Fyris river aboard ingeniously designed homemade boats (some even survive till the end), the self-explanatory ‘champagne race’, the traditional 3 p.m. ‘hat throwing’ ceremony, a very fancy Grand Ball and, inevitably, plenty of alcohol-fueled student revelry till the small hours. But, for nearly 200 years, the key moment of the day has been the 9 p.m. singing of a song by students at the famous Gunilla Bell near Uppsala Castle. And the name of the song? “Spring is Here”! So, if tens of thousands of students feel the last day of April is really the beginning of spring, well, I think I can rest my case.

Tree, shadow and building in April, Uppsala

Across Sweden, Walpurgis Eve is also marked by the lighting of evening bonfires. The one at Gamla Uppsala, the old site of the city, is the largest in the area and my favourite. Here the combination of open fields, huge piles of wood, burning embers floating on the slightly chilly spring breeze contrasted with the warm glow of the fire on the onlookers’ faces really impart the idea that winter is finally over.

Another big celebration in Sweden this week is, of course, Easter, or ‘påsk’. As in many countries there are special church services, schools are on holiday and Easter eggs and treats abound. However, in Sweden there are also – witches!? In a tradition something akin to Hallowe’en these ‘påskkäringar’, or Easter witches, (actually groups of sugar-craving Swedish children) go door to door wishing residents ‘glad påsk’, or Happy Easter, and swapping handmade Easter cards for a contribution to their sweet/candy collection. Unlike Hallowe’en there’s even an option for doing your rounds – either Holy Thursday or Holy Saturday (or for the very greedy, both!) The dress code is best described as fairytale peasant girl style - lots of checked scarves, freckles and rosy cheeks. 

Compared to the late arrival of spring in Northern Europe, April in many parts of China is marked by the period known as ”Guyu” (谷雨). Literally meaning “the grain rain”, it’s a season of mild temperatures and plenty of precipitation. Unlike Sista April the celebration of Guyu is generally rather understated. For example, in southern China, the custom is to “eat spring, enjoy flowers and sip tea”. ‘Eating spring’ here actually refers to a favourite Swedish vegetable, the parsnip, which is generally considered a medicinal herb in China! ‘enjoying flowers’ means appreciating the peony which usually blooms in April and May. And the tea sipped is Yuqian cha (雨前茶) made from young, tender leaves and buds hand-picked before Guyu. Indeed, the famous Qing Dynasty calligrapher and painter, Zheng Banqiao, wrote a verse about this custom: “From Qingming to Guyu, a cup of tea is placed in between.” (正好清明连谷雨，一杯香茗坐其间). A looser translation might be, “Without tea in spring, how can the joy of new life be savoured?” A sentiment with which we at Yocha Studio would firmly agree!

Spring Tea, China

Tea Service in YOCHA 

And speaking of Yocha, April and tea – this month is also a celebration for all of us here at Yocha Studio. That’s because April 22nd marks one month since our store in Uppsala quietly opened its doors at Kungsängsgatan 5B! Since then, we have served literally hundreds of happy customers. It makes us proud to have introduced the appreciation of Asian tea, snacks and original design pieces to so many people from so many different places and backgrounds. It’s deeply gratifying to see our new customers’ delight in learning about Asian culture in general, and the kung fu style of serving and drinking tea in particular. Andwe’d also like to extend a special thank you to our established (and growing) corps of regular customers whom it is such a pleasure to welcome each day – amongst them some formidably knowledgeable tea aficionados to keep us on our toes!  

Now that we are fully open, we are working hard to get things right, but bear with us as we experiment with snacks and tea varieties – we are also learning every day! 

And finally, for those of you not lucky enough to live in Uppsala, the online store at  www.yochastudio.com is open around the clock whether it’s spring, summer, autumn or winter!

 YOCHA STORE in Uppsala

So, Happy Easter, Happy April, Happy Guyu - and let the spring begin!

The Yocha team

 Jewelry Box of Cherry Blossom丨Lacquerware