Fun Facts about the Cherry Blossom

Most people living in Virginia or attending the University of Mary Washington are familiar with Cherry Blossoms. These flowers bloom once a year and there is always a big festival held in Washington, DC. I have never been there but hear it is beautiful. If you have not been to the festival I am sure you have seen these trees all over campus.

The Cherry Blossoms at the National Mall were donated by Japan in 1912 in honor of the growing relationship between nations. About another 3,000 trees were donated at a later date because disease killed off a large amount of the trees originally donated. That’s a lot of Cherry Blossoms. In Japan this is known as a “Hunami Festival”, “Hunami” stands for a “flower viewing party”.

The Cherry Blossom originated in East Asia in places like Japan, Korea and China.

In Japan the start of the fiscal year and school year, which occurs in April, coincide with  the blooming of the Cherry Blossom.

The 100 yen coin in Japan has a Cherry Blossom on one side.

Cherry Blossoms symbolize many things. In WWII Cherry Blossoms represented those who had sacrificed their lives and they also represented the spirit and togetherness of a country. In addition the blooms represent the end of winter, new life, and hope.

There are over 200 species of Cherry Blossoms found in Japan, but the blooming of these trees is celebrated everywhere.

Resources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherry_blossom, http://www.japaneselifestyle.com.au/garden/cherry_blossom.html