Sakura is not only a symbol for Japan, it also represents a landscape, a spirit, and even Japan’s unique culture. Even though Japan’s national flower is the chrysanthemum, this It does not undermine the significance of cherry blossoms to the Japanese. To a certain extent, it is "Japan".
Every year from March 15th to April 15th is the Cherry Blossom Festival stipulated by the Japanese government. In the long and narrow Japanese archipelago, cherry blossoms bloom from south to north, gradually spreading into the "Sakura Wave" throughout the country. carnival.
"Flowers are cherry trees, people are samurai", try to analyze why cherry blossoms can become a symbol of Japanese culture
At this time, Japanese people will put down the work at hand and choose to spend time with relatives and friends We go together to enjoy the cherry blossoms under the cherry blossom trees, and even all the political, business and cultural activities of the entire country revolve around the small cherry blossoms. Not only that, the Japanese are also willing to display the cherry blossoms as the business card of Japanese culture, which can't help but make people feel I'm curious, why do little cherry blossoms have such magical power that can make the whole country crazy about them, even treating them as a totem belief? Next, we will analyze in detail why the small cherry blossoms can become a symbol of Japanese culture.
Origin: Cherry blossoms are an important symbol of harvest
The birth and popularity of customs in a region, nation or even country must be based on society.
In fact, it is now generally believed that the Japanese’s pursuit of cherry blossoms and the custom of cherry blossom viewing gradually became popular in the entire Japanese society with the elegant behavior of Emperor Saga and other nobles. But in fact, according to Japanese folk customs Research by scholar Michitaro Tada:
The custom of viewing cherry blossoms is closely related to the "production of rice" in Japan's ancient farming society.
“Flowers are cherry trees, people are samurai”, try to analyze why cherry blossoms can become a symbol of Japanese culture
Just like various festivals in China are related to the farming season, cherry blossoms The length of the flowering period is also a weather vane for Japanese crop harvests.
In ancient times, the Japanese archipelago was full of mountain cherry trees. If the temperature rises quickly in spring and there is a lot of rain, trees like cherry blossoms will wither quickly, and such weather is also harmful to crops. It often means a bad harvest, but if the cherry blossoms bloom for a long time, it means that the climate that year is also very suitable for the growth of crops, and a good year can be foreseen by the ancients in the farming society.
Therefore, the Japanese in ancient times often looked forward to the blooming of cherry blossoms. This was originally due to the people's expectations for a good harvest, rather than the elegance of the aristocracy. A very typical example is Kyoto, Japan. At Imamiya Shrine, there is still the "Enraku Festival" event to pray for a good harvest.
“Flowers are cherry trees, people are samurai”, try to analyze why cherry blossoms can become a symbol of Japanese culture
Every year during the Anle Festival, local people will wear kimonos, sing and dance to pray. The cherry blossoms wither slowly, bringing everyone a good year. This is the origin of Japanese cherry blossom culture.
Development: The perfect fit between cherry blossoms and Monoai culture
Everyone knows that Japan has been a small country with few people since ancient times, a country with many volcanoes and earthquakes, and even the symbol of another country Mount Fuji is an active volcano that never knows when it will erupt. In addition, Japan has a history of military disasters in ancient times. Therefore, the Japanese have had different views on death since ancient times.