Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-03-30
OF CHERRY BLOSSOMS;
EASTER IN LAND OF FLOWERS

The beautiful and symbolic Cherry Bios
som Festival is Japan's Easter.
1t celebrates resurrection. not the aris-
ing of deity, redeemer, as in the case
Of the great Christian festival, but the re-
birth of the fruits and flowers after six
months of death.
But there is religious feeling in the cere-
mony Of the cherry blossom festival. for
it comes In April at the same time as the
festival Of the Higon, and the two fetes.
while separate and having entirely different
significance, are more less identified in
the mind of the dweller in Nippon because
of the fact that he rejoices over both at
the same time.
1t seems not an exaggeration to say that
even in Japan, land of the picturesque,
there Is nothing so beautiful as this annual
rejoicing of the child-like little brown men
and women over the return of the cherry
blossom.
During the days that the trees are bear
ing the burden of pink petals the Japanese
live in the cherry groves. Continually they
are both in a fragrant snow Of the bios
SONS.
Young men bedeck their sweethearts with
the blooms. and send notes containing Gu
pids message on boughs stripped from the
trees. The swain who can carry his branch
so carefully that the petals are not shaken
off In transit is sure that the gods favor
his suit. and that the maiden of his choice
must listen to his supplications.
The japanese have other floral festivals
for they are notably worshipers of the
fairest handiwork Of Nature There are
seasons when the glories of the wistaria
azalea, iris, lotus. chrysanthemum orsnid
md f1n lao,-
people VITO the public places for diversion
but In popularity the cherry blossom out
strips them all
sent youthful spirits bubbling and made
the old forget their woes
On every one of the 500 inhabited islands
| Of the Japanese archipelago cherry BIOS
SONS are decking the trees. The Jap is the
most skilled arboriculturist in the world
He can train trees and plants to grow
when he wills and in any shape
He accomplishes wonders with the cherry
| tree. He does everything with it, in fact,
but make it grow good fruit. The Japa-
! nese cherry is quite unimportant, In most
| cases tasteless and small, but no one cares,
The cherry tree Is only called on to fur
nish the blooms for the japanese Easter
Let other trees produce the food
With deft mastery the Japanese gardener
shapes the cherry tree into groves that
overhang the road, SO that in season, when
the blossoms are out. the people walk
| under bower of pink glory.
Nothing could be fresher and more sprinp.
like than the dainty petals of the archinp
trees, and as soon as the first shoots an
pear and the trees begin to put on their
pink coats Japan takes a holiday
Out from their homes come the people
The tiny, doll-like girls, with their silks
| their parasols, fans and mincing graces,
mount their jinrikishas and go from place
to place to make their calls. Everywhere
in the train come the young men of the
nation, paying assduous, if respectful
court.
Such famous places Of the cherry bios.
SONS as Uyeno Park, the bazaar of Muko-
| jima, Noge Hill, in Yokohama and the
cherry banks at Kognaei are filled with the
| merrymakers. Joyousness is in the very
air. The famous japanese mountebanks
show their skill, at every corner is little
| theater. all over the public squares are the
| famed japanese wrestlers
Along the roadways, an inch deep with
| the fallen petals, children draw their NOV
| able temples. a queer toy from the occiden-
| tai viewpoint, but one which seems emf
| nently the proper one for the Jap young
ster
Sometimes in one long line can be seen
perhaps a hundred little girls, dressed in
| all the gorgeousness of the Japanese silks