Many people walked under cherry blossom trees in Washington not only to kick off the National Cherry Blossom Festival held 26^th of March until 10^th of April every year, but also to raise funds for the victims of the March 11 tsunami in Japan. The 3,000 trees are gifts from the Japanese government 99 years ago as a symbol of friendship between the two countries.

The American people showed their support for the Japanese people and their country by lighting candles in a vigil. They got together in the Sylvan Theatre and marched along the Tidal Basin which is lined by cherry blossom trees.

The organizers of the said fund raisers in partnership with the American Red Cross aim to come up with enough money to support relief efforts for Japan. After the tsunami stroke Japan last March 11, many Japanese people were left cold, homeless, and hungry.

The Japanese ambassador, Ichiro Fujisaki, said on his welcoming speech that although search and rescue operations are going on in Japan right now, the government is still struggling to provide enough water, food, and warmth. He further said that if there is one good thing that tragedy brought them is that the realization that they can rely on the entire world, especially America, to help them in their time of need.

However, the activity did not please everybody. Priscilla Lee of California said that she is happy that the activity promotes friendship with Japan, but it is not America’s sole responsibility to improve the conditions in the country. Many also pointed out that the US should focus on bigger issues like Libya and even the America’s own economy.

Washington’s cherry blossoms may bloom earlier this year as temperature increases in the district, an expert from National Park Service said on Thursday. He said cherry trees may come to a full blossom in late March.

Rob DeFeo, chief horticulturist, said that cherry blooms might bloom best starting March 29 until April 3. However, the flowers can also be seen before and after the given dates.

The full bloom of cherry trees is expected to occur halfway of the well-celebrated National Cherry Blossom Festival. The festival will be held from March 26 to April 10.

The Park Service said cherry blossoms are usually seen at its finest every year on April 4. It is considered as the average peak blossom date. Hence, the first flower blossoms of these trees may occur almost a week earlier this year.

De Feo said Yoshino cherry trees are one of the oldest most consistent things in the country’s capital. Out of the last 19 years, he has already predicted the tree’s peak bloom dates correctly 16 times.

Cherry trees came to Washington, DC as a gift from Japan to celebrate the continued relationship between both nations.

Last month, the National Christmas Tree situated near the White House was blown down by the high winds. Yet, DeFeo said the trees are still healthy. There are still 100 trees growing out of the original 3,000 trees presented from Tokyo in 1912. Meanwhile, the other 2,900 trees have been changed over time.

This year, one of the festival events will be charging admission for the first time. The Sakura Matsuri Japanese Street Festival has emerged to be the biggest Japanese festival in United States. Last year, it attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors and took place over the event’s final weekend.

However, most of the events during the two-week festival are still free, according to Diana Mayhem, president of the Cherry Blossom Festival.