March 24, 2016
「花見」という言葉は、4月上旬に桜の花を見に行くことだけでなく、開花した桜の木の下での宴会も指しています。
春には、日本の会社員たちは、仕事の後、桜の木の下で宴会をする為にそろって出かけることが良くあります。新入社員が夜の花見にふさわしい宴会場所を確保する為に日中から外出するのも普通です。開花した桜の木々は、夜でも桜を楽しめるように、日没後にライトアップされます。
平安時代、貴族たちは宮廷で桜を眺め、桜の花の下での宴会を楽しみました。一方、農民たちは、春の農作業を始める前に野遊びをしましたが、これは「田の神」つまり、田圃の守護神を招く為の行事でした。江戸時代にこの2つの習慣が一つに結びついて花見となりましたが、当時の人々にとって大変人気のある行事でした。
The word hanami refers not only going to a cherry-blossom viewing at the beginning of
April but it also refers to the feast people have under the cherry trees in bloom.
In spring, Japanese co-workers often go out together to celebrate under cherry trees after work.
It is common for newly employed workers to go out during the day to reserve a good picnic place
for the cherry-blossom viewing party at night.
These cherry trees in bloom are lit up after the sun goes down so that people can enjoy cherry
blossoms even at night.
During the Heian Era, noblemen and noblewomen enjoyed cherry-blossom viewing and feasts
under the cherry-blossoms at the Imperial Court, while peasants went on a picnic before they
started farm work in spring, a kind of ritual to invite Ta-no-kami, the god of the paddy fields,
During the Edo Era, these two customs were cobined into one and became cherry-blossom
viewing, a very popular event among the people of the day.