Cherry Blossom Festival organizers are putting the final touches on the annual Vancouver event that launches on April 3rd, next week.
Cherry blossoms are one of the miracles of spring, and while areas of eastern Canada are digesting weather forcasts that include more snow, the west-coast is getting ready to celebrate.
Kent Fen practices Tai Chi near a cherry blossom tree in Vancouver, B.C., on April 22, 2009. (CP/Darryl Dyck)
It’s a movable feast as the weather and El Nino conditions dictate when the blossoms may appear, but generally the first week of April can be depended on.
Vancouver is now home to 43,000 cherry trees, from 54 cultivars, many of which began with the 800 trees that Japan gave to the city of Vancouver during the 1930’s.
Linda Poole was the visionary behind this celebration of the cherry blossom, now in it’s 12th year.
“In our universal response to their beauty, we are united. Especially during these times we must connect back to nature. Reminiscent of the famous Issa haiku, truly ‘there is no stranger under the cherry tree.’ The ephemeral nature of the blossoms reminds us to seize the moment and celebrate life now.” Poole has written on her web site.
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