What is Cherry Blossom?Cherry Blossom draws from hanami ("flower viewing"), the Japanese seasonal observance of the coming of Spring marked by brilliant displays of cherry blossoms, as well as hanamatsuri ("flower festival"), the celebration of Shakyamuni Buddha's (Siddhartha Gautama) birthday, usually celebrated on April 8th. Japanese American communities have been in the United States since the late 19th century, and their legacy lives on in such celebrations. Hanamatsuri festivals today are often cultural celebrations as well as religious ones. Japanese festivals in the United States have also been supported by friendly relationships between the Japanese and United States governments in the second half of the 20th century, and by the cultural exchange of art, entertainment, and music.
Our festival is produced by the eponymous 501(c)3 non-profit "Davis Cherry Blossom Festival," which is a collaborative project of Japanese and Asian American student organizations at UC Davis and members of the Davis community. The festival was founded and is also produced by Bakuhatsu Taiko Dan, a kumidaiko (ensemble drumming) or "taiko" group from UC Davis. In the spirit of hanami, we hope that people from all walks of life can spend time outdoors in the fresh spring weather, drinking, talking, and enjoying music. An in honor of hanamatsuri, we seek the liberation of all living beings through an annual fundraiser for a charitable organization working towards social or environmental justice. Through this effort, the festival's charity concert component has grown substantially, with the belief that music can be a powerful force for social change. The festivals always feature a number of taiko groups. In the United States, some of the earliest appearance of kumidaiko was through protest and civil rights music during the Asian American Movement. Taiko was played by early participants in the Manzanar Pilgrimages, and taiko has given voice to many people fighting stereotypes and in claiming identity and public place. By showing bits of our authentic selves to each other through our music, art, conversation, and time together, the Davis Cherry Blossom Festival seeks to cultivate compassion through genuine human interaction. This two-day event will feature musicians and taiko groups from across Northern California. We will also have a visual art gallery, community taiko lessons, ikebana demonstrations, traditional Japanese instrument demonstrations, and hands-on activities for the whole family. In addition to local food vendors, this is also your chance to get the season sakura beer brewed specially for this event! |
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