Its that time of the year again!Trees are turning red and gold and the pathways are covered with falling leaves,the foot steps of ice and chill herald the coming of winter and you might wonder where Spring with all its sunshine and colours and warmth has hidden. Well, i can tell you where it is now, it's in this beautiful southern part of the globe in this island country of australia.With cherry trees flaunting their delicate pink and white blooms, the daffodils spreading the yellow glow of warmth, Spring is blowing its trumpet of youth . 
Every year during this time the Tasselaar farm in Sylvan, near melbourne holds a tulip festival which is quite a popular event in the Spring Calendar of Melbourne.This year we had the opportunity to visit this wonderful event.I had heard about this festival from one of my friends and as tulips are quite synoymous with Holland i was intrigued to hear of a tulip farm here in melbourne.
Tulips , unlike any other flower have a history of Intrigue, thievery and heart break.Infact the first tulips didnot originate in Holland .According to historians they originated thousands of years ago in a 'corridor' which stretches along the 40º latitude between Northern China and Southern Europe. The turkish were experts in growing tulips back in 1500's - which was the time of the Ottoman Empire and of Sultan Suleiman I (1494-1566). Tulips became a symbol of wealth and prestige during the Turkish reign of Ahmed III (1703-30)and the period later became known as 'Age of the Tulips'. Infact it was the Turks who held the first tulip festival on a moonlit night!!Its said that when the turkish emperor presented the tulip to the dutch ambassador he didnot know what to do with it and handed it over to the botanical gardens.Later once they became popular the bulbs were stolen from the curator Calsius and started ornamenting the gardens of the rich and famous.The dutch really caught on the 'tulipomania'in the late 17th century when it was no longer only a thing of beauty and became a means to become rich . There was huge speculation in the buying and selling of tulip bulbs which made people rich overnight. HOwever this boom period when it went bust in 1637 , caused numerous heartbreaks .Many people lost everything they owned and for them it was a tragic ending and many many people of the day never liked the flower again.But tulips did not lose their charm through the ages and continue to fascinate us with their beauty and variety.
The history of the Tasselaar farm is infact equally fascinating. Just weeks before the outbreak of World War 2 in Europe - young Cees and Johanna Tesselaar boarded the "Strathallan" from Hollad on their wedding day and sailed for the faraway land of australia with nothing much apart from a farming knowledge and a firm belief on hard work and their mutual love.They first settled in Upper Firn Tree Gulley and then in 1945 moved to Silvan which is located in Victoria's beautiful Dandenong Ranges. They purchased a small six hectare farm and planted their first crop of Tulips and Gladioli. Over the following decades the company, under the name Padua Bulb Nurseries, grew into Australia's largest family owned floricultural operation. Every year during Spring the farm is opened to public .Surrounded by thousands of tulips and other flowers in full bloom, members of the Tesselaar family and extended family dress in traditional Dutch costume and clogs to welcome the public and loyal customers to their Silvan farm. 
Intrigued and excited by this history of tulips and Tasselaar ,We started on our journey to the Tasselaar farm on a slightly cloudy saturday morning. HOwever the weather forecast predicted that by noon the sun will be up and shining. We decided to take the train to Lilydale from where the festival buses carry passengers to the farm at regular intervals.But by the time we reached Lilydale we were fast losing faith on the weather forcasts as the sun remained hidden and to top it off the rains started.We decided to wait in a small fish and chips store and were debating whether to continue further. My friend seemed to have a firm faith on the forecast and argued that there were still 15 minutes left to noon. Me being the eternal doomsayer , i was not convinced. We ordered a bucket of potato chips and nibbled desolately . But in exatly 15 mins the weather did clear up to the woops of my friend , the sun came out from hiding to my relief.
We caught the next bus to the festival. The bus meandered its way through the fringes of the dandenong amidst vista of rolling greens and farmhouses.The scenary was refreshing to our tired city eyes.It took us a bare 15 minutes.The bus dropped as at the gates of the Tasselar farm where we had to buy a ticket for entry.Once inside eyes were dazzled by colours. Tulips of every colour and description abounded in the nurseries as well as grew in rows and rows in the acres of farmland.The sound of dutch folk singing delighted our ears.We decided to explore the tulip fields first. Being strong hindi movie buffs we were excited to recall the scene from the famous movie Silsila with Amitabh and rekha singing their famous duet.We couldn't seem get enough of the colours and our camera shutters seemed to be clicking endlessly.The land was wet and muddy from the rain but we tromped around happily in our muddy boots. A quaint dutch windmill at the end of the field seemed to have added to the total effect.The sun was shining ,there wasa mild breeeze blowing, the green was dazzling and the vividly colourful carpet of tulips beconed.....what were a few specks of mud worth in comparison!!!
At the other end of the field towards the nursery ,rows of tents were set up where musicians and singers in dutch costume presented dutch folk music. The lyrics were foreign but the spirit was unmistakable.At the central square , dancers in traditional costume were gathering . We headed excitedly towards that direction.The group performing were Australia'a own Tukkers Clog Dancers group. They wore the traditional dutch costume with ladies wearing the frilled head cap and ofcourse the clog.The clog is made from poplar or willow wood.In earlier days, the clog was not only a cheap and practical type of footwear it was also a form of expression. There were beautifully painted clogs to be worn on Sundays, even so called church clogs, bridal clogs, clogs for young children, and one could see in which district the clog had been made.The dances depicted various facets of the dutch lifestyle and brought out the sweetness and the simplicity of the village life.The last dance was joined by the spectators as well and finished with a lot of laughter and joyful clapping. After all the dancing and clapping we were finally starting to feel hungry and the tents selling various dutch favourites was the obvious next destination.The food tasted delicious .It was afternoon and the closing time was drawing near.Before going back we wanted to take a piece of tasselaar with us . The farm offered to choose your own favourite tulip for $1 only . We bought a bunch and then with cones of home made ice cream headed towards the bus stop in the dying afternoon glow. A perfect day had come to an end but we were taking back precious memory that would certainly last a lifetime.
