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.
#c397a1
RGB(195, 151, 161) · hsl(347, 27%, 68%)
muted and light — a red that reads as open.
Hopeful Candle without the Ascending →#d2a7c3
RGB(210, 167, 195) · hsl(321, 32%, 74%)
A muted pink: very light, considered, and steady.
When Diamantine Blossom Against Emerging →#b3d28e
RGB(179, 210, 142) · hsl(87, 43%, 69%)
A moderate yellow-green: light, considered, and steady.
When Beaming Breath atop Uplifting →#d6e2ea
RGB(214, 226, 234) · hsl(206, 33%, 88%)
muted and very light — a blue that reads as open.
Lucent Aurora amid the Burgeoning →#ebcbd9
RGB(235, 203, 217) · hsl(335, 45%, 86%)
This very light pink sits at the moderate end of its family.
What the Beam up Argent Elevating →:root { --hanami-1: #c397a1; --hanami-2: #d2a7c3; --hanami-3: #b3d28e; --hanami-4: #d6e2ea; --hanami-5: #ebcbd9;}