Cherry blossoms are considered to be one of the most beautiful flowers. They give us a feeling of peace and sometimes, dread. Many of us have even seen cherry tree blossom, however, we may not know what do cherry blossoms symbolize. So, let’s find out together!
1. What is the Meaning of Sakura?
Cherry blossoms, referred to as Sakura in Japan, are the little, delicate pink flowers from cherry blossom trees. The spring bloom could be a lavish spectacle although, remarkably brief. Once every fortnight, they drop to the bottom and wither, falling like snow with the ebb & flow of the winds. The flowers are native to Asia, found in China, India, and South Korea. However, these days you can find them blooming worldwide. (See What Are Sakura 🌸?)
2. What is the Classification of Cherry Blossom Trees?
Wild fruit tree species can be found all over the world, primarily in the Northern Hemisphere.
- In Europe and North America, cherry trees for decorative functions are classified into rosid dicot genus that consists of around four hundred species.
- On the other hand, in Japan, China, and Russia, decorative cherry trees are classified into the genus Cerasus, which consists of around one hundred species separated from the former.
3. What are Vascular Cheery Plants?
Several cherry trees presently enjoyed for cherry blossom viewing aren’t wild species but vascular plants. Since cherry trees have a mutable attribute, several cultivars are created for cherry blossom viewing, particularly in Japan. Since the Heian period, the Japanese have created several cultivars by choosing superior or mutant traits, performing natural or artificial crossings of untamed cherry trees and breeding them by attachment and cutting.
4. What do Cherry Blossoms Symbolize?
So, what do cherry blossoms symbolize? Cherry blossoms withhold an elevated standing in China as they signify love as well as the feminine aura i.e. beauty, strength, & sexuality. The elusive blooms are appreciated all around the world, but none more so than in Japan, which has hundreds of cherry blossom trees. The floral imaging permeates Japanese paintings, films, and poetry.
Tied to the Buddhist themes of mortality, heedfulness, and living within the gift, Japanese flowering cherry blossoms are an unaltered figure of speech for human existence. Blooming season is powerful, superb, and intoxicating, however temporary. This is a visible reminder that our lives, too, are fugitive without joy. Thus, Sakura is revered as an emblem of rebirth. So, this is what do cherry blossoms symbolize. (See Why Do People Wish on Dandelions?)
5. What is Hanami?
Hanami is an ancient Japanese practice of appreciating the transient beauty of flowers. This tradition of celebrating the spring blooming of cherry trees in Japan is many centuries old. It was established as early as 710, long before the increase of social structure in Japan. Believed to represent the mountain deities that remodeled into the gods of rice paddies in Japanese folk religions, cherry blossom trees signify agricultural growth.
6. What is the Importance of Hanami?
The Japanese traveled to the mountains to worship the trees each spring, then transplanted them to populous areas. They gather below cherry blossom trees each Gregorian calendar month, they adore the aesthetic attributes of the flower while remembering the passing of loved ones. This is done to let go of the past and usher in a bright, optimistic year.
7. What is the History of Cherry Blossom in the USA?
Here is the timeline of events:
- In 1885, Mrs. Eliza Ruhamah Scidmore, a globetrotter, writer, and diplomat, upon returning to Washington from her visit to Japan, approached each new superintendent to propose the concept of oriental cherry trees in Washington DC.
- In 1906, Dr. David Fairchild, plant human and U.S. Department of Agriculture official, ordered foreign cardinal cherry trees and twenty-five single-flowered weeping varieties from the Yokohama Nursery Company in Japan. He grew them on his property to ascertain if they would thrive in the setting close to Washington DC. This experiment was a success.
- By 1909, a politician of Tokyo, Yukio Ozaki, gifted 2000 cherry trees to the first lady of the U. S., Herron Taft.
- Later in 1965, the Japanese Government made another generous offering of 3800 Yoshino trees to a different first lady, Lady Bird Johnson dedicated to the change of state of Washington.
- Between 1986 and 1988, a complete of 676 new cherry trees were planted at a price of over $101,000. Private funds were given to the park service to revive the number of trees as they were at the time of the initial plantation.
- In 1994, the National Cherry Blossom competition was enlarged from one week to 2 weeks.
- The Sister Stream Agreement between the Potomac, which flows through Washington, DC, and the Arakawa, which springs on picturesque Mt. Kobushi in Saitama Prefecture, was signed on March 27, 1996. (Also read How the States got their Shapes)
