This week marks the start of the National Cherry Blossom Festival, which commemorates the gift of 3,000 cherry trees from Japan to the city of Washington, DC, in 1912. The National Park Service says that during a two-week period each spring, the festival draws more than one million visitors to the National Mall, aka America’s Front Yard. In Japan, the custom of picnicking under the cherry blossoms is known as ‘hanami,’ and it’s said to be more spectacular at night, when revelers hang lanterns from the tree branches to illuminate the blooms.
Cherry blossoms at the National Mall, Washington, DC
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
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Happy New Year! (Again!)
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A goldie gala
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A dying breed of tree thrives in an American park
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Ceremony Hall at Sweden s Icehotel
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To Sua Ocean Trench
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Here comes summer
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New Year s Day
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Road-trip worthy attraction in the heartland
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Keep your hands inside the ride at all times…
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Our Lady of the Rocks
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A little bit of Wonderland in New York City
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The Unfinished Obelisk near Aswan, Egypt
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Autumn comes to Old Town
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A tree of many memories
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Ukrainian Independence Day
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Fannette Island, Lake Tahoe
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National Park Week: Everglades National Park
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A Welsh wonder turns 70
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Salmon return to the Copper River
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Birthplace of Roman emperors
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Nha Phu Bay, Nha Trang, Vietnam
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A Christmas market with a long history
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National Mushroom Month
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American goldfinch
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Earth seen from the International Space Station
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Overlooking the Douro
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Black History Month
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Ski touring in Austria
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Irohazaka road
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Przewalskis horses, Hustai National Park, Mongolia