Sakura Hanami HD Wallpaper

Hanami is the Japanese traditional custom of the enjoyment of the beauty of flowers, `flower`in this case almost always meaning cherry blossom (or as the Japanese call it , Sakura). From the end of March to early May, sakura bloom all over Japan, and around the first of February on the island of Okinawa. The blossom forecast is announced each ear by the weather bureau , and is watched carefully by those planning on 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 has been around for many centuries. It is said to have started around the Nara period when it was Ume blossom that was admired in the beginning. By the time the Heian period ,sakura came to attract more attention. Today, the Japanese people continue the tradition of hanami, gathering in large 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. Usually, people go to the parks to keep the best places to celebrate hanami with friends, family, and co-workers many hours or even days before the celebration. Hanami has also become popular outside of Japan in the last years, and is celebrated today at other countries. Smaller hanami celebrations in Taiwan, Korea, Philippines and China also happen. In the united states hanami has become very popular. In 1912, Japan gave 3,000 sakura trees as a gift to the United States to celebrate the nations' friendship. These trees were planted in Washington, D.C., and another 3,800 gifted trees were also taken there in 1965. These sakura trees continue to be a popular tourist attraction, and every year, the "National Cherry Blossom Festival" takes place when they bloom in early spring.