Cherry Blossom Festival Tea

This week the cherry blossoms in Washington, D.C. will be peaking.  To celebrate, I'll take you on a tour of the beautiful sakura (cherry blossom) trees followed by a special tea.

(cherry blossoms with the Capital dome in the background)

The National Cherry Blossom Festival goes on for about a month to celebrate spring in D.C.  The festival commemorates the March 27, 1912, gift of Japanese cherry trees from Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo City to the city of Washington. Mayor Ozaki donated the trees in an effort to enhance the growing friendship between the U.S. and Japan and also celebrate the continued close relationship between the two nations.  The first "cherry blossom festival" was held in 1935.

The trees have been added to over the years and  and the Tidal Basin becomes a fantasy land of pink blossoms dancing in the spring breeze.  It's a beautiful time to be in the city.  I walked all the way down to the riverbank to look across the water at the Jefferson Memorial through a curtain of pink blossoms.

(Jefferson Memorial across the Tidal Basin)

Ferryman, for tea, scoop up those reflections of cherry blossoms. ~Sakai Hōitsu

(walking along the Tidal Basin)

(Washington Monument)

 

 

I hope you enjoyed our little tour.  Now on to the tea! 

 



 

On the table I have a piece of brocade.  I could envision this fabric being used for a Japanese kimono worn under the sakura blossoms in Tokyo.  There is also a "cutting" of cherry blossoms in a tiny Waterford budvase.

 

Do you like the water goblet?

I found 5 of them at a thrift store for $2 each.  I love colored glass and the pretty hand painted flowers with gold accents.  I think the pink flowers are stylized cherry blossoms :).



























The china used for this tea is Havilland Limoges France.  The flowers in this pattern might even be cherry blossoms!  There is an interesting gold pattern on the cup handle with little gold leaves.  This pattern has a lot more gold than I've normally seen on Limoges pattern. 

I hope you enjoyed your tour with tea and scones.  Both the tea and the scones served are cherry blossom--more on them later this week!

I'm sharing this post on:

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