Cherry blossom festival on South Korea’s Yeouido island
The annual cherry blossom festival on Yeouido island in central Seoul runs from April 1-10.
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Cherry blossoms moving west as spring season blooms
It’s that time of year again – a sure sign of springtime when the cherry blossom trees come into full bloom.
Cherry blossoms bloom in Washington D.C.
A sure sign of springtime in Washington D.C. is when the cherry blossom trees come into full bloom along the Tidal Basin.
A sea of pink stretches from national monument to national monument. The 3,000 cherry trees were a gift from Japan in 1912 as a symbol of friendship between the two nations.
Now each year the blooming of the trees is marked with a Cherry Blossom Festival. The celebration grew from humble beginnings to a great spring festival drawing thousands of visitors from around the world.
Fiftieth anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, the start of the world’s largest election, protests in Jerusalem | April 10
Obama commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, around 815 million people have registered to vote in India – the world’s biggest election, ultra-Orthodox Jewish men and youths protest the jailing of a Jewish seminary student, and more in today’s daily brief.
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Cherry blossoms ripe in Japan
It may not be the case for Washington D.C. just yet (give it just a couple more days), but the cherry blossoms are in full bloom in Tokyo.
The Japanese Meteorological Agency tracked the Sakura (cherry blossom front) northward last week, peaking in Tokyo on March 30. Thousands of people have gathered across Tokyo to take part in ‘Hanami’ (Flower-viewing parties) the centuries old tradition of picnicking under a blooming Sakura tree. The blossoming begins in Okinawa in January and moves north through February peaking in Kyoto and Tokyo at the end of March and lasts just over a week.
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Washington cherry blossoms peak late but still deliver
Beautiful weather over the weekend coaxed the delicate buds to bloom on many of DC’s cherry trees to the delight of tourists and locals alike. This year’s late peak, due to the cold start to spring, pushed back the National Park Service’s initial March 26-30 prediction throwing shade on more than a few blossom enthusiasts’ original travel plans.
Take a look of photos of the cherry blossoms as they bloom into their peak, as well as pictures from past years of the festival.
April 7 Photo Brief: Giant Pope John Paul II sculpture, military drills in North Korea, cherry blossoms in D.C.
Giant Pope John Paul II sculpture unveiled in Poland, military drills in North Korea, cherry blossoms bloom in D.C. and more in today’s daily brief.
The Blossom Kite Festival 2013
The annual Blossom Kite Festival, held Saturday, March 30 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., was met with spring-like weather, but inconsistent winds. Thousands of people came out with their kites of all shapes, colors and sizes. Some came just to watch.
March 22 Photo Brief: Obama in Israel, World Water Day, mystical Islam and tiger tongue kisses
U.S. President Barack Obama visits the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem, the world observes World Water Day with the theme “Water Cooperation,” adepts of Sufism, a mystical form of Islam, self-pierce to earn salvation, a pet tiger plays with a keeper at an Indonesian school and more in today’s daily brief.