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Cherry Tree BlossomsU.S. Cherry tree blossom festivitiesIn the United States, cherry tree blossoms are the focus of a two week long celebration carried out in Washington, D.C. The first national cherry tree blossom celebration was arranged in 1935, but it wasn’t until 1994 that the festival expanded into a two week long event. In 1912, Washington D.C. received a gift from Yukio Ozaki, Mayor of Tokyo. The gift consisted of 3,000 Japanese cherry trees and was delivered on March 27.
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The cherry tree blossom festival is today a way of commemorating the close relationship and growing friendship between Japan and the United States. Cherry tree blossoms are also a much longed for sign of oncoming spring in both Japan and the United States. The cherry three blossom festivities are therefore also a form of a spring celebration.
The cherry tree blossom festivities are centred on the Jefferson Memorial and the Tidal Basin; an area filled with pale pink and pure white cherry tree blossoms. After the formal opening ceremony, you can proceed to enjoy a wide range of cultural events, commemorations and activities. You can for instance participate in classes about cherry tree blossoms, enjoy art exhibits where both local and Asian artists display their works, go to the kimono fashion show, visit the daily sushi & sake celebration and watch Japanese movies. On the very last day of the cherry tree blossom celebrations, the National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade will be followed by Sakura Matsuri-Japanese Street Festival.
Japanese Cherry tree blossom festivities
The Japanese word “Hanami” translates to flower viewing and is therefore a highly appropriate name for the Japanese traditional custom of enjoying cherry tree blossoms. In Japan, cherry blossoms are called “sakura”, and a lot of Japanese women are named Sakura.
Between late March and early April, Japan is filled with an abundance of cherry tree blossoms. If you live on the island of Hokkaido, the cherry tree blossom season begins a little later and proceeds into early May. Each year, the weather bureau will broadcast a cherry tree blossom forecast to make it easier for the Japanese people to plan the Hanami celebrations.
The Hanami tradition dates back many centuries and is believed to have started during the Nara Period (710-784). During these early years, it was however umi flowers rather than cherry tree blossoms that were admired. During the Heian period (794-1185), the trend shifted towards cherry tree blossom celebrations. In “Tale of Genji”, a novel written during the Heian period, Hanami is used as a word analogous to cherry tree blossom viewing for the first time.
The Hanami tradition is still alive all over Japan. People gather in districts where cherry tree blossoms are abundant to enjoy a meal together. In towns and cities, public parks are filled with thousands of people who hold feasts among the cherry tree blossoms and party until late at night. At night, the cherry tree blossom is not called sakura, it is called yozakura.
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