Hanami

The ides of March has passed and the new moon is coming. This is an interesting week.

The ides of March, May, July and October fell on the 15th day of those months and the 13th day of the other months according to the old Roman calendar. We don't hear much about those of the other months but the ides of March has been a significant day since Julius Caesar was assassinated on that day in 44 BC. Well, it has been made more significant to modern folk since Shakespeare wrote the famous exchange with the soothsayer, "Beware the ides of March" into his tragedy, Julius Caesar.

Hanami is the Japanese word for literally, "flower see" but is usually translated as "cherry blossom viewing." Since ancient times in Japan hanami has been an occasion for a picnic with sake drinking and singing while watching the cherry blossoms. Some places have lanterns, electric nowadays, for viewing and partying at night. It's still a little cool at night here so I think I'll do my hanami in the daytime only.

Hanami 3/18/15 in my backyard

The cherry blossom is especially significant to warriors and their families because the cherry, unlike most flowers, doesn't shrivel and die before it falls but its petals fall to the ground while in their prime, much like those warriors who are killed in battle in the prime of their youth.

Of course it also applies to all of life. "Here today, gone tomorrow." is an apt forecast of our life on earth. Uncertain and unpredictable, we need to make the most of our limited days by living and acting in ways that fulfill our best concepts of human life.

Normally our cherry tree doesn't bloom so close to the ides of March but this year and the last the flowers have been in full bloom on the eighteenth of March. In 2013 the picture I have of the cherry blossoms was taken on March 29th which is a more usual time for them to bloom here in our part of the world.

Our weeping cherry in full bloom

Earlier this month and even last month we could see the plum trees blooming here in Seattle. There is a Japanese word for plum tree viewing also. It is "umemi" and the practice of viewing plum blossoms is more popular among older people in Japan because there is less drinking and rowdy behavior under the plum trees than the cherries.

In the first paragraph, above, I mentioned the new moon. This Friday is the new moon but I don't know any significance attached to that except what the old timers said about salmon fishing being better in "the dark of the moon."

The full moon however, does have significance. It has been linked to everything from lunacy to lovers. I especially like the "harvest" moon and "hunter's" moons since they come in the fall when the full moon tends to be lower in the sky and its light is filtered through more of the earth's atmosphere so it appears reddish.

In Japan the fall full moon is seen as another occasion for a party. The party to watch the full moon, "tsukimi" usually involves special foods such as sweet potatoes, beans, chestnuts and perhaps others from the fall harvest. Of course, there will also probably be sake or other alcohol. Some restaurants offer special dishes during the season.

Traditionally the viewing places were arranged on a pier or on a boat so the reflection of the full moon on the water could be enjoyed along with the view of the real thing in the heavens. I understand that the party can even be held if the night is cloudy and there are specialized Japanese words that mean a moon viewing party when the moon isn't visible.

I like that concept, no need to cancel the party just because the main star (or moon in this case) doesn't show up.