Sakura, the Cherry Blossoms

Blooming of Sakura or Cherry Blossoms is regarded as a harbinger of spring season. After the longer periods of cold and gloomy wintry months this beautiful blossoming brings back joy and happiness to us human beings. This spectacular display becomes Nature's sun-kissed extravaganza.

It symbolizes the fact, that SPRING is starting to arrive, and beautiful cherry blossom trees can be spotted across the world. The cherry tree can be spotted in countries including China, Japan, Korea, India, Austria, Canada and the USA.

The arrival of Sakura is important to Japanese people. The Sakura tradition has been a part of Japanese culture since the 12th century. In Japan, an annual tradition celebrates the beauty of the cherry tree flowers. The East Asian nation admires more than just the pretty blooms when it comes to the pinkish-hued flowers. In Japanese culture, it’s custom to anticipate and track the blossoming of the cherry trees. While the stunning flowers are beautiful and bring joy, they only bloom for a short amount of time. It marks the moment where residents gather together to rejoice at the newly-blossomed cherry trees. Since the 12th century, Sakura has marked the start of rice-planting season and celebrates the upcoming harvest. To ensure a plentiful crop, Japanese rice wine was offered up as a sacrifice. During the Heian period, it also became customary to hold flower-viewing parties, a tradition which still exists today.

In modern day Hanami parties, thousands of Japanese people fill the parks, feast and listen to music under the flowering trees. Often these parties will continue into the night, which is known as Yozakura, as revelers celebrate in the evening with their friends and families. When the sun sets, lanterns are attached to the trees to keep the cherry blossoms aglow. This date typically falls in March or April, depending on when the trees are fully bloomed.