Last weekend, thousands of people celebrated the annual Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival in the streets of Japantown. This annual event will take place for a second time this weekend, April 20 and 21.
The Cherry Blossom Festival is an annual tradition that celebrates the beginning of Spring each year. This year marks the 57th anniversary of San Francisco’s beloved festival, according to the Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival,
“This year, I worked as a waitress at my friend’s family’s restaurant in Japantown during the festival,” freshman Sabrina Chua said. “It’s so exciting to see so many people come out to support all the stores, and I love how busy and full of life it feels,”
The Japanese Cherry Blossom, or sakura, is a traditional tree with pink flowers that blooms in early spring. In Japanese culture, the sakura represents both the beginning of new life and the knowledge that death will inevitably come. Due to the flowers’ short life span, the idea is that life is beautiful, but will not last forever, according to The Smithsonian,
“I went to the festival this weekend and I enjoyed the karate performance and trying new foods,” sophomore Winnie Chun said. “The festival was really lively and the streets were crowded,”
In honor of Japanese and Japanese American culture, the Cherry Blossom Festival features many activities and events, such as parades, arts and crafts, calligraphy, and martial arts. These vendors and professionals come from all across the United States to participate in this festival, according to Chun.
The Japantown plaza is home to the Peace Pagoda, a central landmark of San Francisco that was gifted from Osaka, Japan in the 1960s, symbolizing goodwill and friendship. These statues are very common in many Asian cultures and traditionally have an odd number of levels to symbolize good fortune.
“The Japanese Cherry Blossom Festival brings the community together and gives people a chance to learn more about different cultures in a fun and engaging way,” Chua said. “Especially because San Francisco sometimes has a bad reputation, this festival proves how bringing people together with music, food, and fun can make a much more of a difference than you might think.”
