Spring madness called “Vrbopuc”

Each year there is this one time in March that transforms the whole community in every city overnight. The temperature finally goes above zero, random cats scream their love songs, and you can almost smell something weird in the air. We never know what it is exactly, but it’s very contagious. Something funny. Something like...falling in love. This occurrence is widely known as a common spring side effect, but Serbian people made it real by giving it its own name vrbopuc.

What does "vrbopuc" mean?

Vrbopuc relates to the period of time between 21st of March and the 7th of April. It is exclusively used to explain the rush of hormones to our brain cells and butterflies to our stomach.

In the literal translation, vrbopuc means the bursting of the willow - meaning the time when the willow tree goes green again. Traditionally, this time of the year was considered the optimal time for approaching women. They were believed to be more susceptible to romance and with the higher erotic drive during this time.

The word is slowly losing its original meaning, as the newer generations don’t rely that much on the seasons, nor the traditions, for finding love. Nowadays it’s more common to hear it in reference to the young teenage boys and their sensual motivations.

The science of falling in love in spring

The idea of being prone to fall in love during the springtime is not only a myth. Helen Fisher, the neuroscience professor at the Rutgers University, explains it pretty simply:

This relates to the spring in a sense that as the nature awakes, many new smells and colors appear, subconsciously animating our brain all the time. Professor Fischer suggests that brain scans of people flooded with this new things look a lot like brain scans of drug addicts. Maybe this falling in love madness can be replaced with the “high on spring” trend.

Falling in love in Serbia

If you are like the most, every place is a possible place to discover your soulmate. The rivers are always a good choice for enjoying spring in Serbia. For example, Danube, Tisa, and Sava are all gorgeous. They are also a favorite meeting point for the crowds of people.

While the nature goes through the regular winter-to-spring transformation, it is really fun to be a part of the silent transformation of the cities. Everybody laughs, everybody rushes somewhere, everybody says “Yes!” much more than “No.”

While the spring craziness vrbopuc is not related only to Serbia, thanks, Serbian traditions, for defying it for us. For some additional motivation, you may want to check our list of the three unique romantic destinations.