From April 7 to May 6, Brooklyn Botanic Garden celebrates Hanami, the Japanese cultural tradition of viewing and cherishing each moment of the cherry blossom season-from the first buds to the pink blossoms that fall like snow.
During Hanami, visitors can track the cherry display at Brooklyn Botanic Garden's award-winning website's Cherry Watch feature, view mesmerizing contemporary art inspired by ancient Japanese techniques in Hana to Mushi-Flowers & Insects: April Vollmer and Kako Ueda, and take a Seasonal Highlights Tour focusing on the ethereal beauty of cherry blossoms on Saturdays and Sundays at 1 p.m. The Zagat-rated Terrace Café will offer a special Japanese entrée throughout the season, and the Garden Gift Shop presents an exceptional Hanami Shop, both in the Garden and online at shop.bbg.org.
Hanami
Hanami is the Japanese name for cherry-blossom viewing, and the Japanese have long-established customs surrounding this tradition, including picnicking under the boughs of cherry trees and trapping fallen petals in cups of sake. The sweet blush of cherry canopies has captured the hearts and minds of Japanese poets and artists for centuries; come visit the Garden and allow the cherry blossoms to captivate your imagination.
Japanese flowering cherries can be found throughout Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Special highlighted concentrations of cherries can be found in the following areas: Cherry Esplanade, a broad field with 76 specimens of the bright pink Prunus 'Kanzan' cherry; Cherry Walk, a meandering path east of Cherry Esplanade and behind the Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden; Cherry Cultivars, mixed varieties of cherries planted in the area between Cherry Walk and Cherry Esplanade; and the Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden, where cherries are planted throughout, in particular the weeping higan cherries, Prunus subhirtella 'Pendula'.
Hanami culminates with the 26th annual Sakura Matsuri, "New York's Rite of Spring" with over 60 events and performances. Sakura Matsuri (April 28 & 29) is a two-day festival of Japanese culture, arts, and performances for all ages in tribute to the Garden's iconic collection of Japanese flowering cherry trees. As Hanami draws to its seasonal conclusion, visitors delight in experiencing the cherry blossoms cascading from the trees to create a petal carpet-a tradition thought to bring good luck. -- www.bbg.org
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