Friday, March 11, 2011

Vancouver's Cherry Blossom Festival


Vancouver has planted one of the greatest collections of flowering cherry trees in the world. The first were gifted by the people of Japan. There, the cherry tree is called sakura and it has a strong spiritual significance to the Japanese. The short lives of its blossoms occurring in the early spring signify the short and well lived life of a human being. I believe that Vancouverites, surrounded by beauty on all sides, have grown to share this same belief.

In 2011, the City of Vancouver celebrates its 125th birthday party. From March 26 to April 22, you are invited to come see, smell, contemplate and enjoy some of the 37,000 flowering cherry trees lining Vancouver's streets and brightening our gardens and parks. Vancouver has over 35 different varieties of these cultivars and the result is a changing sequence of blooms that actually starts in January and goes on into late May.

Come on! Bicycle under the blooms, linger for a picnic, sip some warm sake or hot tea. Compose your own haiku or simply wonder at the beauty of being alive!



Here is some more Cherry Blossom Festival information. Springtime in Vancouver...breathe deep....