hanami

[ hah-nah-mee ]

noun

, Japanese.

1. a seasonal outdoor event or period of time for enjoying the short-lived flowering of certain plants, especially cherry trees: sakura ( def ).

   For our annual hanami we picnic into the night, with paper lanterns hung on the branches to illuminate the cherry blossoms.

Word History and Origins

Origin of hanami¹

First recorded in 1890–95; from Japanese, from hana “flower” + mi “viewing”