THEthe deadline hanami has been cleared through customs in recent years. The enjoy the moment of maximum bloom and splendor of the cherry blossoms it is a concept well known also in the West, and often put into practice by us too. But what exactly is it? And, above all, what does this magnificent flowering have to do with it?
Hanami, not just “looking at the flowers”
As often happens with Japanese words, there is much more behind a term. If indeed literally the term hanami means “looking at the flowers”, in reality behind it lies a considerable philosophy of life. Doing hanami actually means realize the transience of life. It is no coincidence that this practice refers above all to cherry blossoms.
In Japanese culture, in fact, these flowers represent precisely the fragility of life itself but also its beauty and its ephemerality. The flowering of cherry blossoms, in fact, is very rapid and intense, often a matter of days, and is also connected to another concept, that of mono no awareor of thehave the sensitivity to be able to grasp how nature surrounds everything. Not only that, but these plants are also symbol of rebirth, of luck and they represented the value of the samurai. Or again, during the Second World War Sakura flowers appeared on the fuselage of kamikaze pilots to symbolize the brevity and intensity of life.
Therefore, there is much more behind the admiration of the cherry blossoms blooming. And it is no coincidence that, when the season arrives, during the weather forecast you can know where and in which areas of the country the flowering is already present. A collective and national ritual: we meet in the parks and under the trees to picnic and enjoy a day with family and friends. Obviously respecting very specific rules: for exampleit is forbidden to shake the branches to make the flowers fall and it is forbidden to pick them, furthermore, it is forbidden to climb the trees themselves but also to trample on their roots, precisely because you have the obligation to treat them with care.
Why hanami is celebrated
Hanami has very ancient originswas born during the Heian period, between 794 and 1185 in the court of Kyoto. At the beginning this practice it was not dedicated to cherry blossoms but to plum blossomsassociated with aristocratic culture and poetry. Since its origins, however, this simple action he didn’t limit himself to “looking at the flowers” but to stop, let himself be enveloped by the scent itself, perhaps even compose verses that captured the moment. Between the 17th and 19th centuries the practice became famous among all social classes, also thanks to the spread of the Somei Yoshito cherry trees, a particular variety that was planted throughout the country and which have a sort of “synchronized” effect in flowering, thus transforming it into a national event.
How to put this philosophy into practice in everyday life
Translating the concept of hanami into everyday life can be complex. You have to first of all keep in mind the three important fundamentals. Impermanencethat is, everything changes and nothing remains the same: from people to objects, everything is in eternal movement. The second foundation is that of present, then enjoy the here and now because it is not eternal and has a limited duration. In the end, acceptance, meaning that nothing can be held back and it’s in the nature of things so it’s right like this. It’s no coincidence that the greatest moment of hanami is the falling of the petals: it is in that moment that we grasp the beauty but also the transience of life.
How can you put all this into practice in everyday life? First of all stopping. To admire a landscape, to get to know a person, to enjoy a moment. Stopping and observing to capture every single detail. Another important aspect is that of realize that there are moments in life that change everything; it would be important not to recognize them after the fact but while you are experiencing them. Don’t forget that nothing lasts therefore nothing can be prolonged and that indeed, sometimes some experiences are beautiful above all in their brevity.
In the end, you don’t always have to have a purpose. Sometimes you just sit under a tree and relax, without necessarily having to do anything. AND accept that everything ends and that the end must be lived all the way with great dignity.