The Hanami festival is an old tradition in Japan stemming back to the feudal period. During this period aristocrats wrote poetry about the beauty of cherry blossoms and the flower was a representation for the samurais of the code they lived by.
I had a friend who visited Japan during the Hanami festival. (NOTE: Here is audio of my friend’s description about the beauty of the cherry blossoms.) He told me that the Japanese word Hanami means cherry blossoms: hana = blossoms and mi = see. The beautiful cherry trees are planted everywhere around Japan’s cities and buidings, temples and neighborhoods. Here is a photo of the light pink cherry blossom trees.
The Japanese celebrate Hanami by hosting viewing parties or picnics. At these picnics the people bring food and drinks, enjoy eachother’s comany, write potry and sing songs. In the U.S. there are Hanami festivals such as the one in Washington D.C.
Mariah's Sand Box 