ISU Bengal

Issue date: 4/18/07 Section: Life

Is your only cultural experience with the country of the rising sun through cars, sushi, or video games? If so, hopefully you were in attendance at the 3rd annual Cherry Blossom Festival, held in the Ballroom last Saturday, where Japanese culture filled the ISU atmosphere.

Pocatello has experienced French, Chinese, African, and other cultures throughout this past school year, and this time it was time for the Japanese to shine. Thanks to a spring festival that dates back to the 1600's, the Cherry Blossom Festival is rich in tradition. In the ISU program, it gave this brief explanation about the history of Hanami, or "cherry blossom viewing."

"The cherry blossom ("sakura") is a most beloved flower of Japan. Every spring the blooming of cherry blossoms is celebrated with festivals all over Japan. The tradition dates to the 7th Century and signifies not only the arrival of spring, but the beginning of the new academic year for schools and of the new fiscal year for businesses. People gather under the trees, eat picnic lunches, drink sake and tea, view the cherry blossom flowers and generally have a great time. Cherry blossoms have inspired artists and poets for centuries."

The Cherry Blossom Festival is also celebrated at our nation's capital. The first festival was held in 1912 and has since then been honored by both Japan and the US. More than 700,000 people visit Washington, DC every year to celebrate the festival and view the art exhibits, dances, photography, singing, martial arts displays, and of course, the blooming of the cherry blossom trees. Now there's even a Cherry Blossom 10-mile run held as part of the event.

Luckily for us here in Southeast Idaho, we didn't have to visit the national capital to experience all of these wonderful activities; the night was filled with nearly all of these celebrations. The evening started with some tradition Japanese cuisine and the Mikoshi parade-arrival of Kami. There were drum demonstrations, piano pieces, singing, fashion shows, and martial arts demonstrations (Judo and Kendo). As each spectacle got underway, it was remarkable to see how every demonstration captivated the audience's attention- old and young, male and female. It was also enjoyable to see the cultural mixing that was taking place in between events. In one part of the Ballroom, you could see a melody of race and age laughing one with another as they squeezed tightly together for a group photo; in another section of the room, you could sit back and watch a hungry American struggle with chop sticks. In both cases, you couldn't help but smile.

Continued...

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