More on the National Cherry Blossom Festival
By sajego. More can be found at her site here.
The National Cherry Blossom Festival is a celebration of the gift to the city of Washington of 3,000 cherry trees from Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo in hopes of building a relationship between the people of the US and Japan.
It was a simple ceremony on March 27, 1912 when First Lady Helen Herron Taft and Viscountess Chinda, wife of the Japanese ambassador, planted the first two of these trees on the north bank of the Tidal Basin in West Potomac Park. By 1915 the United States government had responded with a gift of flowering dogwood trees to the people of Japan. In 1927, a group of American school children reenacted the initial planting; the first festival was held in 1935. This would carry one to honor this significant connection between the two countries.
There are several Japanese events and celebrations that happen during the time of the festival. Geisha to Diva: The Kimono is an exhibit, held at the National Geographic Museum at Explorers Hall, that recognizes the life of a geisha and popular recording artist in the of the 20th century- Ichimaru. This is only one of the many dedications that take place. There will also be street events like sake tasting and traditional Japanese performers.
There are a variety of kinds of Cherry trees, some bloom sooner than others do. To my discomforted warning, it is not guarantee that the trees will be in bloom when I visit. However, last year (when my sister went) the trees begun to blossom at an earlier start, and lasted from the beginning to way after the festival ended. Also note that Cherry Blossoms are sensitive to rough weather conditions, therefore the climate is a big factor in how soon and long the trees blossom as well.
I’m not very knowledgeable of Cherry Blossoms. I didn’t realize there is so much to them. I hope I can get a better understanding of these trees as well as this popular DC festival, the relationship between the US and Japan, and of course soak up on some Japanese culture.
Some people may think I’m strange by just wanting to see a tree. But all I ask is for there to be at least one tree in bloom so I can take a picture of it. Just this would make me happy.
References:
Official website of the National Cherry Blossom Festival
The Japan-America Society of Washington
National Geographic Museum