hanami means the Japanese custom of enjoying the beauty of flowers, usually cherry blossoms or plum blossoms, also known as "flower viewing".
Why “hanami” is a great word
Hanami is the Japanese custom of enjoying the transient beauty of flowers, especially cherry blossoms. From Japanese 花見 (hanami), from 花 (hana, "flower") + 見 (mi, "viewing"). Unlike a "picnic," which is a general meal eaten outdoors, or an "arboretum," a place for scientific study, hanami is a specific, collective ritual of aesthetic observance rooted in the contemplation of impermanence. It is the pale pink haze settling over a city park, the tart taste of sake sipped on a spread blue tarp, and the shared, silent acknowledgment of petals beginning to snow on the shoulders of a friend. The custom asks us to love what we cannot keep, to find joy in the exact moment before loss.
Etymology
From Japanese 花見 (hanami).
noun
- The Japanese custom of enjoying the beauty of flowers, usually cherry blossoms or plum blossoms, also known as "flower viewing".
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