Spring is in full swing at the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington, D.C., and pink is in abundance.
The annual event is in the middle of its two-week stay, featuring daily events, performances and demonstrations bringing visitors from all over the country. Hopkins is only a quick Marc-ride away from the fun and festivities, so take a mini-vacation to celebrate the beauty of nature, the ties of history, and the essence of Japanese culture.
The festival gets its roots back in 1912, when a gift of 3,000 cherry trees was given to Washington from Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo as a symbol of friendship between the United States and Japan. In a simply ceremony March 27, First Lady Helen Herron Taft and the wife of the Japanese ambassador, Viscountess Chinda, planted the first two trees on the bank of the tidal basin in West Potomac Park. In 1915, the United States returned the same courtesy and generosity to Japan with flowering dogwood trees, and to continue the acknowledgement of friendship, the first Cherry Blossom Festival took place in D.C. in 1935.
Since the first celebration, the festival, and the number of trees, have grown. The total number of trees in Washington, D.C. is up to 3,700, according to Diana Mayhew, executive director of the National Cherry Blossom Festival, and they add a few new trees every year.
The festival has also expanded to become one of the biggest attractions to Washington, D.C., comprised of two weeks of cultural demonstrations, sporting events, musical performances, arts and crafts, and the two main attractions, the Festival Parade and Japanese Street Festival. According to Mayhew, weather this year has been ideal for the blooming season.
"It's been perfect," she said. "It started out with warmth, which made them bloom, and had the cold keep it in a standstill. You couldn't have asked for a better order."
This year, the festival started March 27 and will continue through April 11, drawing about one million people to the nation's capital to admire the trees and join in the celebration. Most events take place on the grounds of the Jefferson Memorial, where the trees along the Tidal Basin provide a beautiful pink backdrop to daily activities.
Cultural performances featuring music, song, dance and martial arts demonstrations take place most days from noon to 4 p.m. on the steps of the memorial, and arts and crafts demonstrations take over the grounds next to the tidal basin from noon to 2 p.m.
Most of the more than 150 events and performances emphasize aspects of Japanese culture, such as demonstrations on the ancient art of Mukimono and displays on the history of the Kimono, and all are open to the public free of charge. Attendance so far this year has been as good, if not better, than past years, according to Piper Anderson, media relations contact for the festival.
"We're expecting over a million to come down and enjoy at least some part of the festival," she said. "It's exciting for the city."
If school obligations and work schedules make a mini day-trip to D.C. during the week impossible, be sure not to miss the National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade this Saturday. According to Mayhew, 70,000 to 80,000 people attend the event, many arriving at 9 a.m. or earlier to reserve their spot for the 10 a.m. parade. Marchers and performers represent a wide variety of people and backgrounds in addition to the theme of Japanese culture.
"It's very international," said Mayhew.
Spanning 1.2 miles of route on Constitution Avenue from 7th to 17th Streets, the parade will feature 16 marching bands from 12 states, antique cars, a group of taiko drummers from Japan and a special parade guest, Baseball Hall of Fame member Brooks Robinson.
April 3 also marks the Japan-America Society of Washington D.C.'s Sakura Matsuri Japanese Street Festival. Spanning more than three blocks on Pennsylvania and Constitution Avenues between 11th and 13th Streets, the event starts directly after the parade at 11 a.m. and continues until 6 p.m.
"Sumo on Freedom Plaza" will showcase members of the California Sumo Association in Los Angeles, and more than 30 of Japan's top sushi chefs will offer their culinary delights during the street festival's Taste of Japan. With the parade and street festival bringing in the crowds, D.C. is the place to be this Saturday.
"It's just one of our biggest days," Anderson said.
Be sure to catch at least some of the events of this national festival of culture and friendship, and marvel in the simplicity of nature that still binds these two nations together. While the festival may end with a new firework finale April 10, the blossoming trees mark the beginning of the warmer weather and longer days.
Check out the Web site at http://www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.com for a complete list of events and times.
