Essential Japanese Seasonal Decorations - Spring
Seasonality: Late Spring/ April
Japanese Name: Hanami/ Sakura/ Chouchin/ Tanzaku/ Hanami Dango/ Sanshoku Dango/
English Name: Cherry Blossom Viewing/ Cherry Blossoms/ Portable Lantern/ Paper Strip/ Cherry-Viewing Dumplings/ Tri-Color Dumplings
Hanami (花見), "flower viewing" is the Japanese traditional custom of enjoying the transient beauty of flowers; flowers ("hana") are in this case almost always referring to those of the cherry ("sakura") or, less frequently, plum ("ume") trees. From the end of March to early May, cherry trees bloom all over Japan, and around the first of February on the island of Okinawa. In modern-day Japan, hanami mostly consists of having an outdoor party beneath the sakura during daytime or at night. Hanami at night is called yozakura (夜桜) "night sakura."
The significance of the cherry blossom tree, also called sakura (桜), in Japanese culture goes back hundreds of years. The cherry blossom represents the fragility and the beauty of life. It’s a reminder that life is almost overwhelmingly beautiful but that it is also tragically short. When the cherry blossom trees bloom for a short time each year in brilliant force, they serve as a visual reminder of how precious and how precarious life is. So, when Japanese people come together to view the cherry blossom trees and marvel at their beauty, they aren’t just thinking about the flowers themselves, but also about the larger meaning and deep cultural tradition the cherry blossom tree.
The chōchin (提灯) lantern has a frame of split bamboo wound in a spiral. Paper or silk protect the flame from wind. The spiral structure permits it to be collapsed into the basket at the bottom. The chōchin hangs from a hook at the top and often has a tanzaku (短冊), or strip of paper, advertising the festival or other namesake enterprises. In present-day Japan, plastic chōchin with electric bulbs are produced as novelties, souvenirs, and for matsuri and events.
Hanami dango (花見団子, or Cherry Viewing Dumplings), also known as Sanshoku Dango (三色団子, or Tri-Color Dumplings), is a rice paste dessert named after the popular Japanese tradition of hanami (花見), literally flower viewing. Hanami dates back to the Nara Period (710–794) or possibly Heian Period (794–1185 A.D), and remains a beloved national pastime today. Hanami gatherings usually take place around late March in Kyūshū, the southernmost (and hottest) prefecture of Japan, and as late as mid-May in the northernmost (and coldest) prefecture, Hokkaidō. No matter what prefecture you choose for hanami, however, the blossoms only last for a week or two. In hanami dango, the pink represents the cherry blossoms during hanami season, the white represents the remaining snow on the ground, and green represents the grass beginning to sprout in Spring. The proverb hana yori dango (花より団子), or “dango rather than flowers” points to dango’s popularity—most people attend cherry blossom viewing parties for the food rather than the flowers!
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