Philadelphia Opens Its Annual Cherry Blossom Festival With Songs and Sushi
By John McDevitt
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Philadelphia's 18th annual Cherry Blossom Festival is underway, with a number of events this week at several venues celebrating Japanese culture.
Today, at a kickoff ceremony at the Liberty Place shopping mall, in center city, children in kimonos sang "Sakura" to celebrate the return of spring.
"Sakura is the Japanese word for cherry blossom," explains Aaron Dilliplane, assistant director of the Japan America Society of Greater Philadelphia, which organizes the multi-day cherry blossom festival each year.
The festival celebrates the culture, art, food, and traditions of Japan, culminating in "Sakura Sunday," this April 12th.
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"We have a big festival day out at the Horticulture Center, in Fairmount Park. We have drummers, a lot of live music and dance performers, martial arts, vendors of Japanese food and goods," Dilliplane notes.
More than 10,000 people are expected to Sunday's event alone. For more information, go to www.subarucherryblossom.org.