 Hanami
(花見, はなみ, Hanami lit. "flower viewing") - The Japanese
traditional custom of enjoying the beauty of flowers,
"flower" in this case almost always meaning cherry blossoms
(桜 or 櫻, sakura), or ume blossoms (梅, ume). From late March
to early May, sakura bloom all over Japan. The blossom
forecast (桜前線, sakurazensen, lit. cherry blossom front) is
announced each year by the weather bureau, and is watched
carefully by those planning hanami as the blossoms only last
a week or two. 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 (lit. "night
sakura"). In many places such as Ueno Park temporary paper
lanterns are hung for the purpose of yozakura.
The practice of hanami is many centuries old. The custom is
said to have started during the Nara Period (710–784) when
the Chinese Tang Dynasty influenced Japan in many ways; one
of which was the custom of enjoying flowers. Though it was
ume blossoms that people admired in the beginning, by the
Heian Period, sakura came to attract more attention. From
then on, in tanka and haiku, "flowers" meant "sakura."
Hanami was first used as a term analogous to cherry blossom
viewing in the Heian era novel Tale of Genji. Whilst a
wisteria viewing party was also described, from this point
on the terms "hanami" and "flower party" were only used to
describe cherry blossom viewing.
Sakura originally was used to divine that year's harvest as
well as an announcer of the rice-planting season. People
believed in gods' existence inside the trees and made
offerings at the root of sakura trees. Afterwards, they
partook of the offering with sake.
 Emperor
Saga of the Heian Period adopted this practice, and held
flower-viewing parties with sake and feasts underneath the
blossoming boughs of sakura trees in the Imperial Court in
Kyoto. Poems would be written praising the delicate flowers,
which were seen as a metaphor for life itself, luminous and
beautiful yet fleeting and ephemeral. This was said to be
the origin of hanami in Japan.
The custom was originally limited to the elite of the
Imperial Court, but soon spread to samurai society and, by
the Edo period, to the common people as well. Tokugawa
Yoshimune planted areas of cherry blossom trees to encourage
this. Under the sakura trees, people had lunch and drank
sake in cheerful feasts.
Today, the Japanese people continue the tradition of hanami,
gathering in great numbers wherever the flowering trees are
found. Thousands of people fill the parks to hold feasts
under the flowering trees, and sometimes these parties go on
until late at night. In more than half of Japan, the cherry
blossoming period coincides with the beginning of the
scholastic and fiscal years, and so welcoming parties are
often opened with hanami. The Japanese people continue the
tradition of hanami by taking part in the processional walks
through the parks. This is a form of retreat for
contemplating and renewing their spirits.
The teasing proverb dumplings rather than flowers (花より団子,
hana yori dango) hints at the real priorities for most
cherry blossom viewers. (A punning variation, Boys Over
Flowers (花より男子, Hana Yori Dango), is the title of a manga
and anime series.)
Dead bodies are buried under the cherry trees! is a popular
saying about hanami, after the opening sentence of the 1925
short story "Under the Cherry Trees" by Motojirō Kajii.
Information source: “Hanami.” wikipedia.org. Article date:
26 Dec. 2007. Retrieved: Wikipedia. 4 Feb. 2008 <Hanami>.
Video - The following videos give two
different views, excuse the pun, of hanabi. The first video
shows people really getting into, and enjoying, the
celebration. The second video is much more tradiation. |
|
