Cherry Blossoms (in hues of white & pink).
Marking the end of winter, the beginning of springtime.
Happening now – Cherry Blossom Festivals (Hanami in Japanese, viewing the blossoms).

Cherry blossoms are edible. They have a flowery subtle taste, and are a used in many Japanese foods and drinks.
Cherry blossom petals can be dried & sprinkled on foods.

Petal talk – like the petals of the Egoic (Soul) Lotus unfolding.
They are blooming everywhere now in the U.S. In Brooklyn, New Jersey; Boston; Washington DC; Philadelphia; Athens, Ohio; Indiana: St. Louis, Missouri; Tulsa, Oklahoma (in bloom now at the Gathering Place); Traverse City, Michigan (edible cherries); Dallas; Nashville; San Francisco; La Canada, CA; Torrance, CA (LA); Seattle; Honolulu; etc.

Macon, Georgia (300,000 cherry trees), cherry blossom capital of the world – Visitors can watch traditional Japanese flower arrangements, and tour through the “forest” of cherry trees that line the many streets and parks.

The west coast cherry blossom festival has just passed (April).
However, the midwest & east coast blossoms are still just blooming.
https://www.afar.com/magazine/12-places-to-see-cherry-blossoms-in-the-united-states

Flower Viewing – The Ritual of Hanami
Hanami – meaning “flower viewing” in Japanese – is a custom dating back to the 8th century involving enjoying cherry blossoms’ (or other flowers’) beauty. Sitting alone or with others in quiet silence, gazing at the cherry blossoms, under a cherry blossom tree. Hanami is a time to reflect upon the beauty, the fragility & how lovely and short life is. A being present in the moment before the petals fall.

Night Time Viewing – by lantern light.
At night, Hanami transforms into yozakura – “cherry blossoms at night” – a quiet way to appreciate the blooms, often by lantern light.

Facts:
Japan sent 3,020 cherry blossom trees to Washington, D.C. in 1912 as a gift. These trees (or their descendants) still fill the National Mall with pink blooms every spring.

Cherry blossom trees likely originated in China’s Himalayan Highlands before making their way to Japan around 1,100 years ago.

George Washington didn’t chop down a cherry tree. The famous tale was added to the fifth edition of one of his biographies to portray him as a virtuous role model.

While cherry blossoms are most commonly pink, they can also be white.

Cherry blossoms are a celebrated & recognized symbol of friendship between the United States & Japan & the Japanese culture.

In Washington DC, thousands of cherry trees are in bloom, along the National Mass & in the Rose Garden of the White House. Washington DC’s cherry blossom festival is from March 20 – April 15 – The cherry blossoms last for 7 – 10 days depending on weather. The trees are the Yoshino Cherry blossoms.

Cherry blossoms, or “sakura” in Japanese, symbolize the fragile & fleeting nature of life, impermanence, of beauty, hope & renewal, blooming as they do at the beginning of spring. The short lifespan of the blossoms, blooming for a brief period before falling, is a powerful metaphor for the transient nature of life and the beauty of appreciating the present moment.

Samuri
The Cherry blossom is embodied in the life & mortality of the samuri. These warriors lived by a strict moral code of honor, respect, and discipline called bushido – the way of the warrior. Their duty was to embody these virtues while appreciating the inevitability of death without fearing it. It was believed that a fallen cherry blossom symbolized the end of their short lives.

Japanese pilots in World War II embraced a similar meaning of cherry blossoms when they painted their kamikaze planes with the blooms before going on suicide missions to “die like beautiful falling cherry petals for the emperor.”

Cherry Blossoms in Japanese Culture.
https://www.jal.co.jp/my/en/guide-to-japan/experiences/cherry-blossom/what-do-cherry-blossoms-represent/index.html