2009 National Cherry Blossom Festival Guide
The National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington D.C
Many associate Cherry Blossom Festivals with Japan and with good reason. Japan has celebrated the blossoming of it's cherry trees for thousands of years, but since the 1912 gift of 3,000 cherry trees from Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo, Washington D.C. has been celebrating it's own National Cherry Blossom Festival. With thousands of cherry trees surrounding the Jefferson Memorial in West Potomac Park and all of them blooming at the same time, the National Cherry Bloom Festival in Washington D.C. is truly a feast for the eyes. But the Festival is more than just Cherry Blossom and this 15 day event offers something for everyone.
As well as all the festivities to be had, the National Cherry Blossom Festival annually commemorates the kind gift of 3000 cherry trees from Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo to the city of Washington in 1912. On March 27, 1912, First Lady Helen Herron Taft and Viscountess Chinda, wife of the Japanese ambassador, accepted the first two trees from Japan and planted them on the north bank of the Tidal Basin in West Potomac Park. In 1965, First Lady Lady Bird Johnson accepted 3,800 more trees and in 1981 the city of Washington returned the favor when they donated cuttings from the Washington trees to the Japanese to replace trees damaged during a flood in Japan. In 1994 the National Cherry Blossom Festival was extended to 2 weeks to accommodate the volume of visitors (over a million annually) and the diversity of events.
In 2009 the National Cherry Blossom Festival will host 200 international cultural performances and over 90 other events including art exhibitions, parades, music and food festivals. The list of events, both impressive and diverse, goes on and on and is too extensive to list them all. There is something for everyone, however, with a whole schedule of free events scattered throughout the city including; a parade, a street festival and a fireworks display. For a full guide and a list of activities go to the official website of the National Cherry Blossom Festival and click on the date you will be attending.
If you plan to attend the National Cherry Bloom Festival in 2009 I hope you have a great time.
Published by Michelle Radowich
I am from Chicago and now living in Boston, mother of a darling 1 year old and wife of a charming English man. Though new to writing, I hope in the future to write for a living. View profile
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2 Comments
Post a Commentso cool, fun read!
I love seeing Cherry Blossoms, thanks