Everyone is Obsessed With Cherry Blossoms: The National Cherry Blossom Festival
Sakura [桜]: an important flowering plant from Japan
On Saturday April 8, 2023 I attended Petalpalooza in Washington D.C., a day-long event in the second to last week of the National Cherry Blossom Festival. Despite the frigid and gloomy weather, massive crowds showed up for the various booths, food stalls, and live performances. The cherry blossoms are so widely anticipated that there is even a Cherry Blossom Watch page to keep track of the stage that the trees are in and one that I had been actively utilizing leading up to the weeks of my visit. Unfortunately, peak bloom, the day on which the NPS horticulturists judge that 70% of the Yoshino blossoms are out, occurred on March 23, two weeks before my visit. Nonetheless, you can guarantee I managed to take a few photos with the last remaining bunches of cherry blossoms still in bloom.
But why all this commotion for a festival celebrating trees, which at the time had already lost almost all of its flowers due to a massive rainstorm? Certainly no other tree has received this much attention, and I wouldn’t blame them for feeling a little favoritism. Cherry blossom trees, particularly the ones in Washington D.C., have a long and rich history that has more to do with just serving as a pretty aesthetic backdrop to take pictures with, although that is certainly one popular aspect. The origins of the cherry blossom trees dates far back and actually begins with a woman who, to put it simply, was really passionate about bringing the trees from Japan to America.
Although the planting of cherry blossoms in Washington D.C. originated in 1912, its history spans centuries, being widely celebrated during the spring season in Japan. The first proposal to plant Japanese cherry blossom trees along the Potomac waterfront in Washington D.C. was proposed in 1885 by Eliza Scidmore, a world traveler and diplomat. Her request, however, was denied by the U.S. Army Superintendent of the Office of Public Buildings and Grounds. She spent the next 24 years speaking to every superintendent about planting cherry blossom trees.
It was not until 1909 that Scidmore wrote to Hellen Haron Taft, the First Lady of the 27th U.S. president, William Howard Taft, that someone finally heard her requests. Mrs. Taft wrote to Dr. Takamine, the Japanese chemist who discovered adrenaline and takadiastase, who was in Washington with Mr. Midzuno, a Japanese consul in New York. Dr. Takamine asked Tokyo Mayor Yukio Ozaki to support the gifting of cherry blossom trees in Washington D.C. and finally in 1909, the Japanese Embassy announced its decision to donate 2,000 cherry blossom trees to Washington D.C. to be planted along the Potomac River. However, when the trees arrived in 1910, it was discovered that they had been infected with disease from insects and were all burned in order to protect the health of the American planters. Mayor Yukio Ozaki didn’t let this deter him and in 1912 sent 3,020 cherry trees of twelve different varieties from Yokohama to Washington D.C. Today the cherry blossom trees still stand as a symbol of friendship between the people of the United States and the people of Japan.
This has led to what is now known as the National Cherry Blossom Festival, which takes place in Washington D.C. and its neighboring communities in Maryland and Virginia. Every year since 1935, the event has spanned over five weeks of festivities from March to April and welcomes more than 1.5 million people to “diverse and creative programming promoting traditional and contemporary arts and culture, natural beauty, and community spirit.” The National Cherry Blossom Festival has blossomed from an international display of camaraderie between the United States and Japan to a more intimate setting with both local civilians and tourists as they gather together to celebrate Japanese culture, art installations, and music.
The festival’s official artist this year is Orlando Quevedo. Born in Cuba and immigrated to Philadelphia, Quevedo’s artistic style is Magical Realism, inspired by Baroque and Surrealism, to create a unique blend of illusion and architecture, which is seen in the 2023 Official National Cherry Blossom Festival Poster. Art and creativity is also prevalent in popular events, including the Pink Tie Party, Blossom Kite Festival, and, of course, the Opening Ceremony, which is an artistic celebration of Japan’s gifting of trees to D.C. Another popular activity during the festival is the National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade that features elaborate floats and performers. For those who can’t make the event live, the parade is also broadcasted on ABC News 7.
The event that I was able to attend, Petalpalooza, takes place in the Navy Yards along the Anacostia River. It was presented by Chase and featured several local groups like DC Fire and EMS, as well as more well-known brands, such as LaCroix, Shake Shake, and iHeartRadio. There were activities for every age group from Japanese-inspired cocktails for adults, arts and crafts for kids, and even a stand called Paws and Pets that had treats and other goodies for pets. Most notable was the emphasis on local safety. Sponsors from Metro and Metro Transit Police provided free giveaway items like water bottles that advertised the phone number of the Metro Transit Police.
The night ended with a wholesome firework show, as the crowds “oohed” and “ahhed” at the spectacular lights and waved their purple light-sticks in the air. This moment, although seemingly mundane, encapsulates exactly what the festival stands for: people from different walks of life and cultures coming together to celebrate the small beauties in life. After all, the cherry blossom, also called sakura in Japanese, stands for the transitoriness of life. The short life span of both the flowers and the trees remind us that despite our busy lives, no matter where we are in the world, we should still take time to stop and smell the flowers.
