Hanami

The hanami (花見; literally, “to look at the flowers”) is the Japanese traditional habit to appreciate the beauty of the flowers, mainly the flowers of Cerisier ( Sakura ). As from at the end of March or at the beginning of April, the will sakura (桜) enter in full flowering everywhere the Japan. Nowadays, the hanami is often summarized to benefit from this season spade-to screw, discuss, sing under the cherry trees in flower. This habit is in spring what Momijigari (紅葉狩り) is with the autumn.

In Japan, there exists also a form of hanami concerning the apricot trees (Japanese, EMU ), precedent that of the cherry trees of Japan. If the cherry trees of Japan are more popular for the hanami , particularly in the young people (it is about a pretext for drinking alcohol between friends). The older people prefer the atmosphere of the hanami of EMU .

History

The practice of the hanami is old several centuries. It is considered that the habit would have started during the Period Nara (710 - 784) at the time where the Chinese dynasty Tang strongly influenced Japan, amongst other things while bringing the habit to appreciate the flowers. However, they was the flowers of EMU (梅, plum) that people admired at that time, and it is only during the Period Heian that the will sakura started to draw more attention. For this time, in the Tanka (短歌) and the Haïku (俳句), the word flower has been very strongly related to the will sakura .

The will sakura in the beginning were employed like indicator board of the season of plantation of rice. People believing in the existence of gods inside the trees made offers with the feet of the will sakura . Then, they took part in the offering by drinking Saké (酒).

The Emperor Saga (嵯峨天皇), which gave its name to the area of Sagano, and which lived at the Heian period, this habit adapted and made of them festivals of “contemplation of the flowers” with saké and mets, under the branches of the cherry trees in flower in the imperial court with Kyōto. Poetries were written, renting the flowers sensitive, which were seen like a metaphor of the life itself, luminous and beautiful, but momentary and transitory. This would be the beginning of the habit of the hanami .

The habit was in the beginning limited to the elite of the imperial court, but was quickly spread at the company of the Samurai S and starting from the Period Edo with the common peoples. Under the trees of will sakura, they took a meal and drank saké in joy.

The Japanese call this, not " Hana-mi" but " O-Hana-mi" , adding in front of a " O" of courtesy very present in the Japanese language.

Nowadays

Nowadays, the habit always exists. During the period of flowering of the cherry trees, the Japanese leave spade-to screw in family or between friends under these trees. The most appreciated moments are the appearance of the first flowers (開花, kaika ) which watch for the photographers and the period of peak of flowering (満開, mankai ).

During the emissions of weather to the Television, the progression of the blossoming is represented. This frontline (桜前線, sakurazensen ) makes it possible to know the moment when the cherry trees hatch. It starts from Okinawa (in the south) and goes up until Hokkaido in the one month space.

In Kyôto, in the area of Sagano, named in the honor of the emperor founder of the tradition, one can see several hundreds of will sakura with Arashiyama and several thousands of Japanese devoting himself to the hanami .

Simple: Hanami

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