Japanese Celebration of Blossom for Spring 2015
Blossom Time April/May
A Unique Cultural Experience
For the third year Brogdale are offering a unique Blossom Experience known as Hanami which is a traditional Japanese celebration.
The custom of Hanami is centuries old and in simple terms means “flower viewing”. The Japanese specifically favour ornamental cherries for the celebration and picnic under the blossom trees in their thousands.
For Hanami at Brogdale visitors can book on specific days throughout the blossom period to take a blossom tour of the orchards, bring along a picnic and enjoy food and drink on tarpaulins set among the trees. In addition there will be a fascinating exhibition of Japanese artefacts and costumes. The whole day follows the traditions of the Japanese way of celebrating and presents a unique cultural experience.
In addition to the Hanami Picnics a one day Hanami Festival will mark the occasion in mid-April incorporating a range of Japanese traditions and entertainment. Demonstrations of constructing a bento box, Japanese calligraphy and Japanese musical instruments, Iaijutsu demonstrations (quick-draw sword techniques) and taiko performances (a form of Japanese Drumming) will take place throughout the day.
Bernie Cranfield, Events and Marketing Manager comments; “we are excited about being one of the few places in the UK to offer a Hanami experience. The exceptional varieties in the National Fruit Collection offer the perfect location for this celebration and it has been extremely well received so far”.
Blossom at the National Fruit Collection is a spectacular sight with 323 different fruiting cherry varieties and an additional 42 varieties of ornamental cherry trees, the Cherries alone are vastly impressive. The Collections also include other flowering fruit trees including apples, pears, apricots and plums.
Whilst weather is an unpredictable component the blossom generally starts at the end of March at Brogdale and can run right through to May. The lengthy period is due to the varying nature of the different varieties which have different flowering times.
Forecasting the blossom period is all part of the Japanese traditions as people avidly track the weather in order to anticipate when celebrations will begin. Being an official Met Office climate site, Brogdale are well equipped to make predictions on the blossom based on weather readings. These predictions will be found on Brogdale Collections website leading up to spring.
Tickets for Hanami can be purchased through www.brogdalecollections.co.uk and must be secured in advance of the visit.
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