Since ancient times, sakura has been a traditional symbol of Japan. The Japanese call this the tree itself and its flowers. By the way, the closest relative of sakura - bird cherry - grows in Russia. Blooming sakura is incredibly beautiful, but it is not its beauty that amazes most of all, but the attitude of the inhabitants of the Land of the Rising Sun to it.
For the Japanese, cherry blossoms are a national holiday. Forecasters in advance make a forecast of the expected timing of flowering. Television and radio in their news reports on the beginning of flowering in every district and in the most famous parks. At the same time, the number and types of trees must be listed.
The ceremonial ritual of hanami - admiring sakura flowers - also falls on this period. In ancient times, representatives of all classes - aristocrats, samurai and peasants - were seated on the ground under the trees. At the enterprises of modern Japan, the day is specially chosen when the whole team goes to the park to admire the delicate sakura flowers. It is believed that the blossoming sakura endows its guests with wisdom and divine beauty.
The night hanami is considered a special celebration, when the soft light of small lanterns suspended under the crowns of trees and the shine of high lanterns turn the cherry blossom gardens into truly paradise gardens - quiet, warm and divinely beautiful.
The history of ancient holidays is usually associated with mythology. One of the most tragic Japanese legends is dedicated to the sakura blossom. Once one of the Japanese villages was in the power of the cruel prince Hott, on whose orders not only peasants but also members of their families were tortured for the slightest disobedience. Wanting to stop Hotta's atrocities, the village's foreman, whose name was Sakura (in Japan, the masculine word for sakura), showed the shogun the backs of his children streaked with whips.
The shocked ruler gave the order to punish Hotta. But Hotta did not forgive the offense: he grabbed Sakura along with the children, tied them to a tree and screwed them to death. When the sakura flowers, which were usually white, bloomed the following spring, people were dumbfounded. The flowers turned pink as if they had been stained with the blood of innocent children.
Unfortunately, cherry blossoms are short-lived: they last a little over a week. Therefore, her flowers are considered a symbol of the fleeting nature of life. Some Japanese, wanting to extend their favorite holiday, follow the sakura from city to city. If you follow it from the beginning of flowering in the south to the fall of the last petals in the north, you can admire it for a whole month. Interestingly, flowers first appear on the branches of sakura, and only after they fall do the leaves bloom. Therefore, a flowering tree stands entirely in white or pink.
Since ancient times, sakura has been a source of inspiration for poets and artists. Modern breeders show no less interest in it. Today, more than 300 varieties of sakura grow in Japan, many of which are created by crossing long-known varieties.
