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For the past 6 years, my husband and I have visited Washington DC to attend the annual Cherry Blossom Festival, and this year was no exception.  Admiring the flowering trees, which surround the Tidal Basin, is a fantastic way to welcome the spring season!

This colorful festival usually takes place sometime between mid-March and mid-April (depending on the weather), and commemorates the gift of 3,000 Japanese cherry trees to DC by Tokyo mayor Yukio Ozaki on March 27, 1912. The intention was to foster friendship between the United States and Japan.

In Japan, the festival celebrating the blooming of the cherry blossom trees is known as “hanami” (花見).  Families and friends picnic under the trees and celebrate the departure of winter.

The cherry blossoms, called Sakura in Japan, are a common symbol in Japanese popular culture.  The image of fallen sakura petals marks the beginning of spring and symbolizes the beauty of nature, as well as new beginnings; or rebirth.

Find more information at the official Cherry Blossom Festival page, including blooming date estimates.

These flowers are simple to make and work great for decorating your cakes and cookies.  You can prepare them with either buttercream or Royal icing.  To learn about icing consistencies and how to use them, click on the links.

Print out the template to practice the technique according to the video tutorial.

Print Template

Here are the links for the materials you need to acquire to make these flowers:

• Decorating tweezers
• Wilton Color Right System
• 12″ Decorating bags 
• Couplers
• Icing bag ties
• Petal tip #103
• Yellow sugar pearls
• Flower nail
• Medium consistency royal icing
• 1.5 x 1.5″ Square parchment paper

 Credits & External links:

• https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sakura_(cerezo)
• https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Festival_Nacional_de_los_Cerezos_en_Flor
• http://www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org/