The softest pink, near-white blossom, pale green of new leaves, and clear sky blue — the palette of a Japanese tradition of watching cherry blossoms fall.
Hanami — literally flower viewing — is the Japanese practice of gathering beneath cherry trees during their brief flowering, typically one to two weeks in late March or April. The practice is over a thousand years old, originally a court ritual and now a nationwide celebration in which families, friends, and colleagues spread picnic blankets under the trees and sit beneath the falling petals. The palette is extraordinarily delicate: the pale pink of the blossoms, ranging from near-white to a soft rose depending on the variety, against the clear blue of a spring sky. The green of the first leaves just beginning to emerge. The beauty of Hanami is inseparable from its brevity — the blossoms fall within days, and the palette disappears with them.
RGB (201-156-165)
#c99ca5
A muted red: light, considered, and steady.
The Lustrous Blaze by the Bejeweling →RGB (226-212-221)
#e2d4dd
This very light pink sits at the muted end of its family.
The Blossom betwixt Liquid Leaping →RGB (204-222-201)
#ccdec9
A muted green: very light, considered, and steady.
What the Beam Around Saccharine Lighting →RGB (193-207-220)
#c1cfdc
This very light blue sits at the muted end of its family.
Refulgent Candle outside Enlivening →RGB (218-164-184)
#daa4b8
This very light pink sits at the moderate end of its family.
When the Liquid Bloom nearby Delighting →:root { --hanami-1: #c99ca5; --hanami-2: #e2d4dd; --hanami-3: #ccdec9; --hanami-4: #c1cfdc; --hanami-5: #daa4b8;}