According to the Directorate of Hotels and Tourism of Shan State, the Cherry Blossom Festival is slated to be held in Loimwe located in Kengtung Township of eastern Shan State in 2024 for five days.
The Cherry Blossom Festival was first held in January 2022, its second in January 2023, and this upcoming event will be its third.
U Htin Aung Naing remarked, “The festival is set to be held for five days in the period of the burgeoning cherry season. However, we cannot set a confirmed date yet for the festival since we need to forecast its estimated blossoming and flowering time. That’s why, right now, we can say the festival will be held in early January. In the cherry blossoming season, this area is fully covered with cherry flowers since many cherry trees were planted in the British colonial era; also, hundreds of them were planted under projects in consecutive administrative eras. As far as I can recall, around 500 cherry trees were grown in the 1990s; and another 500 trees were also grown in 2022-23. Therefore, there are at least over 1,000 cherry trees in Loimwe.”
In Myanmar, cherry trees are mostly grown in Chin State and Shan State. In Loimwe, there are two types of cherry trees, which can be divided into sweet and bitter types. Either of them usually flowers alternatively in nature. The report says the cherries are blossoming and usually last for a month.
In Southeast Asia, Myanmar, Viet Nam and Thailand hold cherry blossom festivals. Cherry trees are also valued and loved in Japan. — ASH/ TMT
