Hanami

The Pink Sky

Nothing is as Japanese as cherry blossoms. The tradition of the Hanami festival, "flower viewing", is over a thousand years old. Sakura, the Japanese cherry trees, bloom for about two weeks a year. In Japan, Hanami is celebrated with a leisurely stroll through an avenue of cherry trees or with an outing in a park. Many take the opportunity to look closely at the trees from a distance, where they resemble pink clouds, and up close to see the details of a single flower.

The whole nation is engaged in preparations for various cherry blossom celebrations. Because Japan, like Sweden, is a long country, cherry trees bloom at different times in different parts of the country. Therefore, people not only eagerly follow the weather forecasts but also the map of blooming times that meteorologists present every day. It's called the Cherry Blossom Front and its location is of national interest.

There are over 300 different varieties of cherry trees. They differ in size, the color of the flowers, and their shape. Some trees grow up to 10 meters high and have flowers ranging from the palest white through pink to the deepest red. Some have single petals, others have multiple layers. The Swedish Linnaeus disciple Carl Peter Thunberg, who stayed in Japan in 1775-1776, is said to be the first to import cuttings of Japanese cherry trees to Europe.

In Japan, cherry blossoms are the epitome of the bittersweet realization: that life is short. Just like their bloom, life is uncertain. It can end when it's most beautiful. The realization that life is transient is a fundamental aspect of Japanese philosophy and Buddhism. Those who stand at the peak of success, beauty, youth will one day lose everything and die.