Spring Day and Students’ Day in Argentina: September 21

September 21 is both the start of spring in Argentina and Día del Estudiante (Students’ Day). The overlap isn’t a coincidence, but it isn’t what most people assume either.

Why September 21

Students’ Day commemorates the repatriation of the remains of Domingo Faustino Sarmiento (Argentine president and the great promoter of public education), which arrived in the country on September 21, 1888. The date took hold first at the School of Engineering in Buenos Aires and spread from there to the whole country.

Falling on the same day as the start of spring did the rest: two reasons to celebrate at once, outdoors and in good weather.

One clarification: the southern spring equinox doesn’t always fall on the 21st. Astronomically it can be September 22 or 23. The celebration stayed fixed on the 21st out of custom and because of Students’ Day.

What people give

• Brightly colored bouquets. It’s the day of color: sunflowers, gerberas, mixed bouquets.
• Freesias and tulips. They’re right in season, and it’s one of the few weeks of the year when they’re easy to find in good shape.
• Plants and herbs, for anyone setting up a balcony.
• Combos with something sweet, very popular among teenagers and students.
• Flower crowns, a classic at that day’s picnics and get-togethers.

Why it matters for flower shops

It’s one of the strongest weeks of the year, for three overlapping reasons: the best flower season begins, event season starts, and it’s less than a month before Mother’s Day (which is in October in Argentina). If you’re buying that week, it’s best to book ahead.

A practical tip

It’s an outdoor day: parks, plazas, picnics. If the bouquet will spend all day in the sun, choose hardy flowers — carnations, alstroemerias, statice, sunflowers — and avoid hydrangeas and tulips, which droop within a couple of hours out of water. The full approach is in how to care for flowers in the heat.

What’s in bloom those days

It’s peak time for locally grown tulips and freesias, lilies are starting, and the first peonies are about to appear. The details are in spring flowers in Argentina.