{"id":1775,"date":"2024-03-20T10:29:21","date_gmt":"2024-03-20T14:29:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/theconversation\/?p=1775"},"modified":"2024-03-20T10:29:21","modified_gmt":"2024-03-20T14:29:21","slug":"cherry-blossoms-show-appreciation-of-impermanence-and-spring","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/theconversation\/2024\/03\/cherry-blossoms-show-appreciation-of-impermanence-and-spring\/","title":{"rendered":"Cherry Blossoms Show Appreciation Of Impermanence And Spring"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>
\n Families relax under lush cherry trees in the Shinjuku Gyoen in Tokyo.
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shankar s.\/Flickr<\/a>, CC BY<\/a><\/span>
\n <\/figcaption>\n<\/p>
By Ma\u0142gorzata (Gosia) K. Citko-DuPlantis<\/a> of University of Tennessee<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n
Cherry blossoms mark the beginning of spring. Various festivals are regularly organized in California<\/a>, Colorado<\/a>, Georgia<\/a>, Tennessee<\/a> and Washington, D.C.<\/a>, to celebrate the bloom of cherry trees. <\/p>\n
The blossoms, however, are short-lived and usually fall within a week. Indeed, \u201csakura,\u201d as the cherry tree is known in Japanese, is a recognized symbol of impermanence<\/a> in Japan and beyond. <\/p>\n
Every year, many people all around Japan gather under the cherry trees in parks and gardens for a spring picnic to watch the blossoms fall while they chat with their companions over seasonal drinks and snacks. Such gatherings are called \u201chanami,\u201d literally meaning \u201cviewing the flowers.\u201d <\/p>\n
As a scholar of premodern Japanese literature and culture<\/a>, I was introduced to the custom of viewing cherry blossoms early on in my education. It is an ancient ritual that has been celebrated and written about in Japan for centuries and continues to be an indispensable element of welcoming spring. In the U.S., the tradition of hanami started with the first cherry trees being planted in Washington D.C. in 1912 as a gift of friendship from Japan<\/a>. <\/p>\n