In addition to the host, the mayor of Mostar Marija Kordić, the president of the organization “IPIL IPIL no KAI” Toshiko Ito and the resident representative of UNDP in Bosnia and Herzegovina Narine Sahakyan attended the festival.
The Japanese cherry festival “Sakura” was held on Sunday in front of Mostar’s Kosača, and as part of it, a Japanese tea ceremony and the planting of a Japanese cherry tree were held in Zrinjevac Park.
In addition to the host, the mayor of Mostar Marija Kordić, the president of the organization “IPIL IPIL no KAI” Toshiko Ito and the resident representative of UNDP in Bosnia and Herzegovina Narine Sahakyan attended the festival.
The mayor of Mostar reminded that the story of the Japanese cherry in Mostar has been going on for 18 years and that this is the first time that the Japanese Cherry Festival is celebrated in the city on the Neretva.
The beginning of a tradition
“This is a special story in Japan, where the Japanese Cherry Festival lasts for a month and it means a lot to them. We want to show a part of this fine story to the citizens of Mostar. I hope that this will be the beginning of a beautiful tradition, that every year at the same or similar time we get together and enjoy the Japanese cherry blossoms,” emphasized Kordić.
He added that cooperation between the Government of Japan and the City of Mostar dates back to the early 2000s, when the Japanese government donated buses to Mostar and significant funds for the health system.
Bojan Spasojević from the City Administration of Mostar emphasized that he has been working on the project of promotion, planting and distribution of Japanese cherries in Mostar for 16 years together with the organization “IPIL IPIL no KAI”.
“They have too much traditional value for the Japanese. Since the sixth century, there has been a tradition of ‘Hanami’ practiced in Japan, which consists in looking at flowers and noticing their beauty and transience. Japanese cherries in Mostar were planted for the first time in 2006, and according to Japanese belief, every fallen petal brings peace to the earth, so the number of petals that fall in the course of one year is equivalent to that. “We planted 220 Japanese cherries in the area of Mostar,” Spasojević pointed out.
A festival that celebrates life
The participants of the event were greeted by the resident representative of UNDP in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Narine Sahakyan, who said that she was glad to attend the festival that celebrates life and maintains Japanese cultural traditions.
“I wish all of you to enjoy this event today, these beautiful flowers and to spend a beautiful spring day celebrating life,” said Sahakyan.
At the festival, certificates of appreciation were also awarded for the promotion of Japanese culture and support for the spread of Japanese sakura in the area of Mostar, as well as prizes for elementary school students for the drawing competition.
There was also a Japanese tea ceremony and joint planting of a Japanese cherry tree in the Zrinjevac park.
The interesting and varied program of the festival was enriched with their performances by the Croatian Music Mostar and the Majorettes of Mostar.
Source: blesak.info
