Aidan Duke

Writer 

Since the beginning of time, people have discovered and created many traditions that were passed down through history.

One of the most well known traditions for families around the world is spring break.

As far back as history has been recorded, people have celebrated the arrival of spring which for many represents new beginnings and happiness.

The origins of spring break can be traced back all the way to the Greeks and their celebration for Dionysus, the god of fertility and wine.

The Greeks would spend three days relaxing, having fun, communicating and being with others in the name of Dionysus.

Then, in the 1930’s, the celebration  changed and progressed into what many people now know as spring break.

Before the holiday was coined, spring break, college swimmers traveled to Florida over the break because of it being the sunshine state to practice their techniques for competition in Fort Lauderdale.

After this set of events, many other swimmers were traveling to Fort Lauderdale to practice their forums over the holiday.

This soon created a domino effect, causing tons of people to start doing different activities other than  swimming over the holiday.

These activities included traveling to different states, being with family, trying new adventures, going to theme parks or just staying at home and taking a break from their busy lives.

Then, 30 years later Hollywood made a film in 1960 called “Where the Boys Are” based on the book “Unholy Spirit,”  written by Michigan State University English professor Glendon Swarthout.

The professor wrote the novel after observing students on spring break in 1958, encouraging him to share with the world the importance of spring break for the students and others.

Soon after the movie “Where the Boys Are” was created it encouraged and attracted many influential companies like MTV to be a part of the holiday. MTV started filming over spring break making huge festivals that allowed different groups of young adults to attend.                               

According to Purdue University, these festivals attracted a whole new crowd of college students and allowed them to partake in fun activities with friends and travel to new places.                       

Spring break continued to grow and became a very popular trend for others where they would travel and take a break from life. These important events in history allowed a simple idea like Spring Break to evolve and become an influential part of people’s lives. Not only does the break help students get a bit of reprieve from hectic school responsibilities but, it also prepares them for the last half of the school year.                                       Spring Break is now considered a holiday after first starting out as just a celebration of the god Dionysus and then later changing in numerous ways.     The holiday has helped people take time to focus on specific aspects of life, including taking time to enjoy activities that time does not always allow for in day to day life.