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"Bud burst" is a phrase sometimes used to refer to the time when a fruit tree blossoms. Coming as they do before leaves are fully out (making pollination simpler) this is traditionally a time of great joy and symbolism. Nowhere is this more evident than sakura observances in Japan, inspiration for Washington DC's annual Cherry Blossom Festival and a similar observance at Clark College this Friday, April 17, 2009.

Symbolism of Cherry Blossoms in China and Japan

The flowering cherry is known as the sakura in Japan, where it is often the focus of special flower-viewing events or parties. Although a powerful symbol of female beauty in China, the sakura (a different tree than our fruiting cherry) are even more culturally significant in Japan, serving as a symbol of beauty and the transience of all life. Fleeting and delicate, flowering cherry petals often fall within a few days and may cover the ground like snow.

This characteristic of "blossoming trees" is sometimes used to distinguish them from "flowering trees." Staying for a week or two at most, cherry blossoms (like all fruit blossoms) can also be stripped early by hard spring rains, reducing the chances for pollination and lowering fruit yields among agricultural crops.

Clark College Sakura Festival Friday, 17 April 2009

From 2-5pm this Friday, 17 April 2009, Clark College shall have its fourth annual sakura festival and flower viewing, in honor and celebration of the hundred Shirofugen cherry trees donated by John Kageyama, President of America Kotobuki. Planted on Earth Day, 1990, these marked the Washington state centennial, and this year's festival is part of Clark's 75-year anniversary celebration.

For Further Information

• News release about the annual Sakura Festival at Clark College, beginning at 2pm on Friday April 17, 2009, in room 116 of the Penguin Union Building, 1933 Fort Vancouver Way, Vancouver 98663.
• Clark College alumni and former Camas resident Denis Hayes was a key organizer of the first Earth Day
• Wikipedia article on sakura cherry blossoms and hanami flower viewing that led directly to events such as the National Cherry Blossom Festival in that other Washington