CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL

? By Mike Rodriguez

One bright cherry blossom can create a whole warm feeling of spring in the air. 

Sakura…There is something magical about this little pink flower that symbolizes the time when everything is awakening, step by step, blossom by blossom, into the spirit of spring.

? By Tomas Williams

A few months ago, I attended this festival to revisit my childhood memory.

? By My Mother (when I was 14 years old)

Can you imagine a festival celebrating this magical moment, full of joy? Yes, it exists – it is called the Cherry Blossom Festival, and it takes place everywhere, especially in Washington, D.C.

As a little girl full of dreams, I was often invited as a guest singer to perform at these venues. I remember the excitement before every show. There is no feeling like this. I still remember the amazing smell of the beautiful flowers, joyous crowd, and my root of traditions shared with the people from all parts of the world.

? By Urata Sensei (when I was about 12 years old before a performance)

? By My Mother (when I was 14 years old)

When and how it all started? This tradition commenced on March 27, 1912, when the first Japanese cherry tree was given as a gift from Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo City to the city of Washington, D.C. By 1915 more than 3000 cherry blossom trees were planted in the same area, in Washington, D.C. A present of friendship to the People of the United States from the People of Japan, it connects the two cultures, so different, yet so similar.

The flowering cherry tree, Sakura is an exalted flowering plant that opens its buds, creating an unforgettable sea of pink and white all over the place. The national flower of Japan is the best gift that one nation could have given to another. This is more than a century-old tradition which represents the close relationship between the United States and Japan, described by one of the nation’s most celebrated spring-time events.

? By Candle Science

The first official festival was in 1935 and has since become an annual event, gathering 1.5 million people from all over the country to the capital. Organizers even joke about the cherry blossoms becoming the brand of Washington D.C.

Nowadays regular festival events include the Opening Ceremony, the Blossom Kite Festival, and the National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade. The whole celebration consists of over 150 daily cultural free performances by local, national and international entertainers and sports
competitions.

Going back to the time when I used to sing at this festival’s events, I cannot help but sense the nostalgia. The amazing spirit of the event, combined with the unique scent of the cherry blossom, gave this experience a whole new perspective for me. Sun, happy faces and music, what else is there to summarize the beauty of spring? I could feel not only the excitement of my own but of the crowd in front.

? By Mike Rodriguez

This was the magic of the Cherry Blossom festival, then, and now, too! It is the spirit, the respect, the admiration we have for each other that gathers us together, glancing into the natural beauty of a long-known tree. Moreover, thus, year after year, spring after spring, moment after moment, we feel more united, as people.