Japanese Cherry Blossom Festival Customs

Cherry blossoms have been celebrated in Japan for more than a thousand years. Japanese people regard cherry blossoms as the embodiment of spring and the deity of flowers. In Japanese, the word "sakura" means "the time of spring". When spring comes, people are most concerned about the annual blossoming and falling of cherry blossoms. How many buds are formed, whether they are good or bad, whether they can escape the spring rain when they bloom and bloom brilliantly, and whether they can meet the spring wind when they wither and drop the petals cleanly.

Whether the cherry blossoms blossom well or not, in the view of the ancient Japanese, it means whether the year will be smooth and the crops will be plentiful. That's why people gathered under the cherry trees at the time of blossoming, sang songs and drank, praised spring with their whole body and soul, and prayed for the blessing of the gods.

Cherry blossoms have a history of more than 1,000 years in Japan. In the Nara period (710-794), when we talk about flowers, we mean plum blossoms, and in the Heian period (794-1192), cherry blossoms became the main character, and there were five times more songs about cherry blossoms than about plum blossoms. Cherry blossom viewing has also been practiced in Japan since the 7th century, when Emperor Jotunori, who was particularly fond of cherry blossoms, visited Yoshinoyama in Nara many times to view cherry blossoms. It is also said that the first cherry blossom viewing event in Japanese history was held in the 9th century under the auspices of Emperor Saga. Cherry blossom viewing was only practiced by the rich and powerful, but it was not until the Edo period (1603-1867) that it was popularized among the common people and became a traditional folk custom.