Japanese Holidays - O-hanami - cherry blossom festival (Hanami)

Meditative practices and contemplation help residents of the Land of the Rising Sun cope with mental tension and stress of everyday life To relax and calm down, the Japanese attend a tea ceremony and sekitai - a rock garden Another way to gain aesthetic pleasure and achieve inner harmony is to watch cherry blossom trees - Hanami O-hanami, the cherry blossom festival in Japan, is held annually on March 20th The holiday has its own dates in different prefectures So, in Hokkaido in Sapporo, cherry blossoms occur on the 15th-20th of March, in Tokyo - at the end of the month, in Kyoto and Osaka - in the first half of April In the warm oases of the northern regions of the country, for example on the Izu Peninsula, sakura begins to bloom very early - in mid-February The tradition of holding the festival appeared during the reign of the Tokugawa clan in the country in 1603-1863, called the Edo period Even though Hanami is not an official holiday, Japanese newspapers and magazines carry forecasts for cherry blossoms and recommendations on which places in a particular prefecture are ideal for viewing cherry blossoms on their front pages every day The Meteorological Agency also notifies citizens of the country about the appearance of the first pink petals Hanami is a big event for both local residents and tourists, for whom getting to Japan at the time of cherry blossom is a great success During the O-hanami period, company managers are sympathetic to requests from subordinates to leave work early to admire the sakura The ancient custom of viewing the blossoming buds of a tree, which arose during the Tang Dynasty in the 7th century, is of great cultural significance In the Land of the Rising Sun, cherry is the personification of renewal and rebirth, a symbol of tenderness and feminine beauty, purity of thoughts, the transience of time and the value of every moment The flowering period lasts on average about 2 weeks In the evening, after 1800, the crowns of the trees are illuminated to create a romantic and mysterious atmosphere To do this, they install raitappa - multi-colored paper lanterns - on the trunks of cherries For those who were unable to attend O-hanami or want to refresh their senses, museums around the country hold exhibitions throughout the year Their visitors admire exhibits in the form of illuminated artificial sakura trees and inhale the aromas of cherry blossoms But no imitation of a natural phenomenon can replace admiring real trees in bloom This will be confirmed by every Japanese who, according to tradition, climbs Mount Fuji at least once in his life and celebrates Hanami every year