Spring Break: a Cultural Phenomenon Shaping Lives and Trends

Introduction

Spring Break is an important cultural phenomenon because it operates in a temporal and social sense and offers unique opportunities for growth and development. Most school communities in the United States and Canada observe Spring Break in March or April. This acknowledgment of Spring Break indicates the beginning of the fourth quarter of the school year and the commencement of warmer and more pleasant weather. But it is also a warning that the school year is dwindling and the end of the year is in sight.

It is a time for hope. But, perhaps, most importantly, it is a vacation from school; it is one of the last times that students and teachers can rest before the upcoming testing and end-of-the-year evaluations.

The peak time for people to take Spring Break is during their college career. During our college years, Spring Break was an exciting and anticipated time of freedom. We enjoyed the ability to travel to different parts of the United States without the constraints of the weather. We enjoyed meeting interesting people who were intent on having fun. What displaced people during Spring Break today include the snow enthusiasts as well as the sun and surf types. Generally, snow seekers travel to mountain areas while beachgoers head for warmer destinations. Most students regard Spring Break as an opportunity to renew acquaintances and to begin new relationships. Moreover, people who choose not to travel frequently use Spring Break to relax. While capitalizing on the break, it is common for people to take leisurely strolls along beaches, purchase souvenirs, visit museums, sunbathe, and have delicious meals in fine restaurants. It is also a time to rethink their futures and sort out their priorities in college, work, and family terms. These decisions are subjective; Spring Break decisions relate to our needs and desires.

Historical and Cultural Significance

Spring break is a period of time—usually about one to two weeks long—when both primary and secondary schools, as well as colleges and universities, give their students time off for relaxation. The students no doubt flocked to Florida because the state had built an immense network of interconnected paved roads, making it one of the more tourist-friendly states in the Southeast. In the early days of spring break, it was more prevalent in high schools than colleges because the former got out of class earlier in the day than the latter.

Spring break’s roots reach even deeper into 20th-century history, with specific academic traditions becoming more defined by the middle of the 20th century. The majority of American colleges and universities, for example, at this time, were on a semester system basis or an abbreviated trimester system schedule. These schedules typically ended during May or June. Taking a week off somewhere in between the beginning of the dual-term cycles and the end of the school year was suggested to keep students from feeling burnt out or exhausted, and to release some of the tension that instructors and students put into their various subjects of study. It would also encourage students to continue with their studies, the logic went, and to “tie a knot on it” so to speak so that the “rope” of retentive information would not “slide through.” The modern emphasis on spring break-related vacations, then, represents a vast shift from its original concept as predominantly an academic-related break. Voluntarily entering into a vacation society or style as a type of statement, of identification, and of leisure, also has carried with it significant cultural overtones—to which spring break is no exception. For decades, spring break has served as a final “hoorah!” preceding the culmination of old rituals and the establishment of new paths to follow. It is a time when individuals align with groups of people to say “hey, we did this together” and to bridge society—and, thus history—together with leisure. Despite its careless veneer, spring break—and leisure itself—functions as an affirming and unifying element in our society; it is a type of story in its own right to chronicle together in order to forge common ties. The variations of spring break around the country mirror cultures of gathering and the customs of leisure that Americans establish as they interact across time. The opportunity for such leisure activities has been perpetuated through the media as well, which subsequently has at least in part perpetuated the concept of “spring break” as a notable event in a college-age person’s life—a rite of passage, of sorts.

Personal Growth and Development

Spring break—whether students decide to "rage" in Miami, commence the long travel from the comfort of their own dorm to their childhood living room, visit chocolate bunnies and colorful eggs for family, or use the week for religious and personal reflection—serves as a time for personal growth and self-discovery. This semester, Daylight Saving Time reminded us to “spring ahead” one hour, changing our daily schedules for the days to come. The time off from school is perfect for exploring and experimenting with who you really are, and perhaps who you want to potentially be.

Volunteer work during this week, or those throughout the year, gives students a reprieve from their own lives to help others who are at a more significant disadvantage. Such an experience is often very eye-opening and creates connections between students and their communities. For those who decide to explore a new destination or to experience cultural foods, history, music, and entertainment, they get a real look at how others live. Travel can be a roller coaster of unexpected life lessons, requiring flexibility, a positive attitude, and problem-solving. On the other hand, have you ever described your history final or the year-end term paper like a trip to Jamaica? I’ll bet no, but read on as one does just that.

Some students choose to spend the time to reconnect with friends they rarely have time for—maybe a local music festival, jazz concert downtown, or an evening out for dinner. While making time to volunteer and participate in group activities, students need to personally reflect on what has simply drained, recharged, and reinvigorated them. For example, counselors see a decrease in stress at the college and high school levels when spring break returns; taking a mental break is rewarding to one’s mental health because of decreased symptoms. Many such programs provide life skills such as self-awareness, relational skills, perseverance, and the ability to adapt. I teach the benefits of experiential learning by using fun activities that provide life lessons. I do this because I try to control the anxiety of students entering a new semester, especially if it ends in a capstone course.

Trends in Spring Break Activities

With the consumer hyperconnectivity of the 21st century, traditional spring break antics of yore have evolved. Students have always documented their youthful mistakes with their cameras, photo albums, and friends, but now, perhaps more than ever, technology and social media have created the ability to instantly share that documentation with a wider audience. Often, spring break stories focus on the extravagance of college students partying abroad for a week straight. Yet this coverage overlooks the growing majority of students who no longer want to get blackout drunk every night of their vacation. These different values lend themselves to a wider variety of activities and natural pairings for students immersing themselves in culture or escaping crowded beaches for more alternative spring destinations instead. While not always active in subject matter, pop culture from television to movies and historical events has also taken an interest in capturing the fun of spring break. Movies like "Spring Breakers" or "The House Bunny" tell the narratives of innocent women overdue for a scandalous vacation. The spring break experience reflected in literature, movies, and cultural landscapes can easily change from a time of increased crime or selling to a lively cultural encounter in a vibrant beach town. Cultural interest in spring break and similar vacations continued decades before and still continues to grow. Instead of debunking harmful myths, these works of fiction prop up an image of fun, white sandy beaches, and risky behavior that makes or breaks the vacation. Over the past 20 years, more powerful technology in media has continued to increase exposure and shape the values and ideas of students who travel on spring break. Most people plan to travel during their time off, and for over 40% of spring breakers, travel locations have changed from the crowded beaches to unknown spots with fewer non-volunteer tourists. Trends in top spring break cities like Key West, Florida include beach partying and marine life tourism. For students 10 years and younger, or those living in locations with a relatively strict drinking age, many choose to stay home and engage in nightly outings. This data aligns with findings that 67% of those traveling for spring break will take three or more trips a year. Marketing will attract potential spring breaker clients regardless of their destination; however, it is jarring to see millions of visits taking place in a travel arena at the height of a non-peer culture travel season.

Conclusion

This essay has addressed the significance of Spring Break at the cultural, personal, and institutional levels. It has illuminated the ways students might grow through the experiences and values of leisure, mobility, risk-taking, and relaxation. It is important to remember throughout that Spring Break itself is a multifaceted event. Spring Break stands as a cultural practice that flips, to some extent, the values of the institution.

Analysis has demonstrated the traditional cultural implications of Spring Break, its ability to shape personal contact zones and push preconceived boundaries of the known and experienced, as well as to serve as a breeding ground for significant modern and creeping informality trends. Despite these somewhat ambiguous analyses, the fact remains that Spring Break holds an unignorable influence on and for institutions. It has retained relativity throughout these changes: historical, cultural, and personal. That allows us to make some predictions about the future of Spring Break. Political climates and ideologies may change; climates and technologies will continue to adapt and develop, as the pressures on higher education and students become complex and more nuanced. What Spring Break will be in the future is not—cannot be—concluded through the past and present. The significance and implications of Spring Break should continue to be actively researched. From both the personal and global context, the impacts surveyed serve as a reasonable reflection of broader dynamics than may be easily concluded from a careful analysis of any component alone. The individual Spring Break could be considered as a human activity system in its own right, with systemic and holistic impacts.

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