To the delight of all, Japan’s cherry blossoms are already beginning to bloom, as families and friends gather for the centuries-old tradition of hanami (viewing cherry blossoms). The opening of the faded pink petals is a delightful sight, but did you know that they are subtler than meets the eye? The meaning of cherry blossoms in Japan is profound, making the country’s national flower a cultural symbol revered throughout the world not only for its breathtaking beauty, but for its enduring expression of life, death, and regeneration.
Kiev. Ukraine. Ukraine Gate – April 08, 2021 – Tourism and Travel
What are cherry blossoms?
Cherry blossoms, also known as sakura in Japan, are the delicate little pink flowers produced by cherry blossom trees. Spring blossoms are a stately but remarkably short sight; After only two weeks, it falls to the ground and shrivels, falling like snow with the tides of winds. As flowers native to Asia, they can also be found in China, South Korea, and India, but today they bloom all over the world from the United States and Canada to Australia and New Zealand, and the sakura blossoms attract and captivate an international audience.
What do cherry blossoms mean?
Cherry blossoms are highly prized in China, signifying love and feminine mystery (beauty and strength), but nowhere in the world is more cherished than Japan, home to thousands of cherry blossom trees. Every April, families, and friends across the country gather festively in large groups for hanami and feasts elaborate with music under giant feathered curtains of soft pink.
The Japanese cherry blossoms are a timeless metaphor for human existence. The flower season is strong and wonderful, but sadly short-lived, it reminds us that our lives are also fleeting. In Japanese culture, sakura as the personification of beauty and patience can be traced back centuries. No one in history embodied this metaphor more than the warriors of Japan (samurai), they embodied a strict moral code of respect, honor, and discipline.
It was their duty not only to represent and preserve these virtues in life but to appreciate the inevitability of death without fear in battle. The falling cherry blossoms or petals are believed to symbolize the end of their short lives.
Hanami in Japan is not just a spring activity, it is a national pastime with deep cultural and religious roots. When the Japanese gather under the cherry trees every April, they are not only impressed by the flower’s aesthetic. On beverage-filled tables, bento boxes, and sweet mochi, they take advantage of their day to extract beauty from life. They commemorate the loss of loved ones and contemplate their precious lives with a sense of astonishment while ditching the past to usher in a bright and promising new year.
Read also: 6 Interesting Wedding Traditions in Japan That Will Surprise You
Source: Ukrgate