there's something intrinsically beautiful about cherry blossoms. i've never seen the cherry blossoms bloom in DC. my dad always says we're going to go...
below are the highlights of my findings.
kura is the Japanese name for cherry trees, and their blossoms. In English, the word "sakura" is equivalent to the Japanese flowering cherry, and their blossoms are commonly called cherry blossoms.
Whereas in China the cherry blossom symbolizes feminine beauty, the feminine principle, or love in the language of herbs, in Japan the cherry blossoms are believed to exemplify the transient nature of life, because of their short blooming times. Cherry blossoms also symbolize clouds due to their nature of blooming en masse, besides being an enduring metaphor for the ephemeral nature of life, an aspect of Japanese cultural tradition that is often associated with Buddhistic influence and which is embodied in the concept of mono no aware, (term used to describe the awareness of mujo or the transience of things and a bittersweet sadness at their passing.
Japan gave 3,020 sakura trees as a gift to the United States in 1912 to celebrate the nations' then-growing friendship. These trees have since lined the shore of the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C. (see West Potomac Park), and the gift was renewed with another 3,800 trees in 1965.
(wikipedia, abridged)
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Thursday, April 10, 2008
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