Spring colours signify the natural contrast of new fresh invigorating life against the sober greys, blacks and whites of winter. On March the 13th folk used to parade figures sometimes made of straw and of bright colours with garlands of flowers against another, clad in drab grey white and black acting the part of dying winter. Several days later, such antics culminated in Carnival with an efflorescence of colours and excitement to precede the beginning of Lent, a time of fasting and deprivation, especially of meat (carne).

In Northern India at the Holi Festival folk throw coloured powders at each other. In a modern context one can’t go wrong for spring colours if one uses the colours around the crown of the colour solid.HONE, W. (1825) The Every-Day Book. London: William Hone. See pp.357, 358 Winter and Spring allegorized – a Sport.

ITTEN, J. (1973) The Art of Color. London: Van Nostrand. Josef Itten, the Bauhaus designer and teacher, has a section on the colours of spring.

JACKSON, C. (1983) Colour Me Beautiful. London: Piatkus. Carole Jackson gives swatches of the colours of the seasons. These could be related to 1983 and might be described as idiosyncratic (see p.33)

JAMES, E.O. (1961) Seasonal Feasts and Festivals. London: Thames & Hudson.

WICKISER, R. (1948) Mardi Gras Day. New York: Holt.