By Elizabeth McMullan, staff writer
As winter draws to a chilly close and the weather starts to warm up, flowers are finally coming back in beautiful arrays in any color you can think of. While a home garden or a walk in the park is equally pretty, one of the best times to view blossoms is coming up. It is only a matter of time before the entirety of DC is overtaken by cherry blossom blooms.
Washington DC’s Cherry Blossom Festival is one of the largest celebrations of spring in the country, if not the world, and the ideal time to view them is between March 20th and April 17th this year.
The festival originated in Japan, where it is called Hanami. The celebration is focused on enjoying the temporary beauty nature brings. During the festival, people gather around underneath the blossoms to appreciate food, drinks, songs, and companionship. A good portion of the food relates to the blossoms themselves, some of the most popular being Sakura Mochi, Cherry Blossom Rice Balls, as well as Cherry Blossom Milk pudding. Of course, a common drink to wash down the food is Sakura Sake, an alcoholic beverage made with the blossoms of the trees.
Later, Cherry blossom trees found their way into the United States when the people of Japan offered 3,000 trees as a sign of friendship in 1912, officially marking the beginning of the festival. DC, compared to Japan, celebrates differently. The event has many different things to do while there, such as PIXELBLOOM, a virtual world for people to view blossoms created by artists, or Petal Porches, where residents bring their porches to life with decorations commemorating the event.
Mahir Aziz, a sophomore, stated, “For everyone else, I would recommend them going if they truly enjoy simply watching cherry blossoms and having a chill time.” and “If I were to ever go again it would be on my own when I am older simply because going with my family is often more stressful than actually enjoyable.” He recollects having to go around with family all over DC, not being able to settle and just enjoy the blossoms, but still is fond of the festival nonetheless.
Sophomore Sanvi Gopisetti agreed with the notion that the festival was enjoyable despite only going when she was younger, “Yes, cherry blossoms are beautiful, and seeing them in person would be amazing!”
Kathryn Wieber and Jizelle Williams, a sophomore and freshman respectively, both agreed that while they have not gone, they would like to, the interest for the Japanese culture as well as the idea of food seeming to be appealing to the both of them. “I haven’t had the opportunity to try much or any of the food or have seen the art associated with it.” Kathryn explained with Jizelle piping in, “I would consider going to the cherry blossom festival for the food”
Kathryn also expressed a desire to see the parade, “I’ve also heard it’s very interesting and fun, especially the National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade. I think it’s something I should experience at least once in my life, considering I’ve had the opportunity to do so for a while now.”
While it may be a little more on the cold side this year, It would still be worthwhile to go, even if just to get a small peak at the blooms this year. From the food to the activities to the landmarks, there is bound to be something for everyone.