‘In the cherry blossom’s shade, there’s no such thing as a stranger.’ Kobayashi Issa. Japanese poet.
This is the thinking behind the next project, Hanami Hull. Hull has some fabulous cherry blossom trees and a link with Niigata in Japan. Hanami Hull is about making and sharing the cherry blossom further and for longer to reach those people in our community who will then no longer be strangers.
Information below giving more info and the details.
Please sign up however you want to – on here, on the page, on twitter @wemadethishull, by email wemadethishull22@gmail.com, by Messenger. There will be maker sessions, info to follow.
Hanami in Japanese, the home of cherry blossom, means ‘viewing flowers’, particularly cherry blossom (sakura). Cherry blossom festivals date back a thousand years to when aristocrats enjoyed looking at the beautiful cherry blossoms and authored poems inspired by them. Due to their beauty and fleeting nature, cherry blossoms have become symbolic of the impermanence of beauty. This reflects the Japanese concept of ‘mono no aware’, nothing last forever.
Kobayashi Issa, a Japanese poet wrote ‘In the cherry blossom’s shade, there’s no such thing as a stranger’. This is because the blossom is so plentiful that people picnic and party around and under the trees in the parks. Cheers in Japanese is kanpai (ghan-pie) which means ‘to empty cup’, our familiar ‘bottoms up’!
Hull has many cherry blossom trees and is a sister city to Niigata in Japan (who knew?) and we would like to encourage you to add to Hanami Hull – cherry blossom time by making lots of it to decorate your windows, your doors, your gardens. Make garlands to hang from your fences, trees and around your front door, in fact, wherever you like! These beautiful blossoms always bring a smile, so let’s spread some Hanami joy to Hull!
Dates April 4th to May 14th. Your blossom can be hung as soon as you have made it, but it would be lovely if it were all up by the May Day Bank Holiday on May 2nd.
Sign up by April 15th please, so we know where the cherry blossom will be. You can sign up by adding yourself or your group on our Facebook group #wemadethishull – work in progress, or on the Facebook page @wemadethishull, Twitter @wemadethishull or let us know via our email wemadethishull22@gmail.com or the website at wemadethishull.wordpress.com, or via Messenger. Where there’s a will, there’s a way!
Maker Days For those of you who like to come out and play, there will be sessions in Hull Libraries, but also in other venues both on weekdays and weekends, so watch out for those.
How to share there are choices here too – display your makes wherever you are, in your garden, school, community so everyone can see them; join a maker session and then we will display them wherever the session is held; photograph them and send them to us and we will share them far and wide!
How to… you are welcome to make your blossom however you choose, but please remember that, in the main, each flower has five petals. Some are single layer, others multi-layered and as many shades of pink as there are! You could use tissue, crepe, origami papers, felt, foam, fabric, pretty much whatever you like. You could attach them to string, twine, ribbon, wire, twigs. However, and whatever you choose, have fun blossoming!
Added extras Japanese poetry often takes the form of haiku. In the West, these are poems are generally a set pattern of 17 syllables in three lines 5-7-5. They often contain a seasonal reference and are traditionally about the natural world. So, now’s your chance to show your poetic skills to write and publish your Haiku!
#wemadethishull 