Marking the Beginning of Spring The Cherry Blossoms: Marking the Beginning of Spring

What is the Cherry Blossom? The Sakura tree, Japanese for “Cherry Blossom”, represents the short-lived beauty and nature of life The trees are found around the Himalayas and in east Asia such as China, Korea and Japan Japan has over 305 species of Cherry Blossoms When in bloom, the trees look white from nearly top to bottom Its flowers are nearly pure white, tinged with the palest pink, especially near the stem. The flowers bloom, and usually fall within a week, before the leaves come out.

The History of the Cherry Blossoms in Washington D.C. The 3000 trees given to the U.S. in 1912 were a gift from Yukio Ozaki, the mayor of Tokyo, symbolizing the close relationship between the U.S. and Japan On March 27, 1912, First Lady Helen Herron Taft and Viscountess Chinda, wife of the Japanese ambassador, planted the first two of these trees on the north bank of the Tidal Basin in West Potomac Park In 1965, First Lady Lady Bird Johnson accepted an additional 3,800 more trees from Japan Today, the famous trees signal the coming of spring with an explosion of life and color surrounding the Tidal Basin portion of the West Potomac Park in a sea of pale pink and white

The Cherry Blossom Festival The Festival is held between March 31st and April 15th Over ONE MILLION people visit Washington D.C. each year to admire the blossoming cherry trees The Festival is comprised of: Parades Street Festivals Performances

What the Festival Has to Offer The Cherry Blossom 10-Mile Run Held on the first Sunday in April Cherry Blossom Soccer Co-ed, 7v7 teams from the Washington, DC, metropolitan area compete for the Cherry Blossom Cup on the Mall River Blossoms Tours Get to view 3000 cherry blossoms from the water Tidal Basin Paddle Boating National Cherry Blossom Festival Parade Held on the last Saturday of the Festival

Want More Information? Visit the National Cherry Blossom Festival Website: http://www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org Contact the Festival Hotline: (202) 547-1500 ASK AROUND!