It’s SPRING.
I know, I’m late according to the calendar. However, I refuse to acknowledge the presence of spring until I see flower buds, smell the fresh breeze, and feel the cold sweat brought on by terror of finals. Just kidding about that last one . . . mostly.
I don’t know about you folks, but my most poignant memories of spring center around the blooming of tulips. (What flower does everyone have? Tulips! Get it? Two-lips?) Bad jokes aside, tulips are truly some of my favorite flowers. They don’t last long when cut, but in the ground they are some of the most colorful and hopeful plants I’ve ever seen. Tulips originated in the Middle-East area, but have caught the eyes, and hearts, of so many peoples that they can now be found on 6 of the 7 continents. (Can you guess which Continent has no tulips? I’ll give you a hint, Santa doesn’t live there.)
Traditionally in the springtime Americans think of Easter bunnies, egg hunts, candy and (maybe) religion. In Japan, though, many of the world’s Buddhists are preparing for the annual celebration of Hana Matsuri, the Buddha’s birthday. The rest of the world celebrates the sacred day on differing dates, based on the Chinese Lunar calendar. The Japanese switched to the Gregorian calendar, and moved their celebration with it. (According to tradition, the birth was on the 8th day of the 4th month—April 8th in the Gregorian calendar.)
Hana Matsuri, “The Flower Festival,” has some gorgeous traditions that may seem just as fantastical to outsiders as hunting colored eggs. People heavily decorate altars with flowers in order to honor Buddha. Then a bowl of water is placed on the altar and a little Buddha is set inside. Visitors are invited to pour sweet teas made from Hydrangea leaves on the figurine. The tradition mimics the belief that when Buddha was born he was either anointed with perfume by two dragon-kings, or bathed by a gentle perfumed nectar rain, depending on whom you ask.
If Buddha were around now, I’m fairly certain he would be a proponent of taking care of the earth. “I entrust myself to earth, Earth entrusts herself to me,” wrote Thich Nhat Hanh, a Buddhist monk. In the journey of life, Buddhists work to consider each action before taking it, so as to not harm or kill. Naturally, this extends to taking care of the earth and the all the creatures therein. (Many Buddhists are vegetarians). Admirable, no?
Since Hana Matsuri is nearly upon us, and Earth Day will soon follow it, I thought it would be only fitting for my craft this week to be both something green and something having to do with “The Festival of Flowers.” My Recycled Plastic Bloom is made out of a plastic 2-liter bottle and a few dropps of nail polish. For the record, I did have a specific flower in mind (tulip, did you guess?) when I developed this process. However, I quickly discovered that plastic has a mind of its own. If your family particularly enjoys drinking soda, you might want to stock up on those bottles, it takes a fair amount of practice to turn out a perfect bloom. This time my list of materials is in the video, just a heads-up!
Ready? Here we go!
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