Cherry Blossom Dedication Ceremony

Applicant: The Alnwick Garden Trust
Award: £750
Field: Culture, Arts

Project:

The Cherry Orchard at The Alnwick Garden in Northumberland contains over 300 Japanese Tai Haku cherry trees, and each year it holds a Cherry Blossom dedication ceremony attended by people who have dedicated a tree to the memory of a special person or event in their lives.

In 2014, following the dedication ceremony, The Alnwick Garden planned a festival to celebrate the large collection of cherry trees and to introduce visitors to the importance and symbolism of cherry blossom in Japanese culture.

Leading up to the festival in a series of free workshops, visitors were invited to paint silk flags with images of the blossoms to be made into an installation displayed at the festival. The festival weekend included calligraphy and origami workshops, the chance to take part in a traditional tea ceremony and performances of Japanese folk music.

To find out more about The Alnwick Garden's cherry tree collection, visit the website.