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.
#e8c0ce
RGB(232, 192, 206) · hsl(338, 46%, 83%)
moderate and very light — a pink that reads as open.
When Dawning Air atop Enrapturing →#e7d5e1
RGB(231, 213, 225) · hsl(319, 27%, 87%)
This very light magenta sits at the muted end of its family.
Young Beam throughout the Bubbling →#d9e2d4
RGB(217, 226, 212) · hsl(100, 20%, 86%)
A very light, muted green with a quiet presence.
What High Blossom without Emanating →#c8d7e5
RGB(200, 215, 229) · hsl(209, 36%, 84%)
This very light blue sits at the muted end of its family.
The Breezy Breath opposite the Whispering →#cc8ea5
RGB(204, 142, 165) · hsl(338, 38%, 68%)
A muted pink: light, considered, and steady.
The Ebullient Blossom Against the Fleeting →:root { --hanami-1: #e8c0ce; --hanami-2: #e7d5e1; --hanami-3: #d9e2d4; --hanami-4: #c8d7e5; --hanami-5: #cc8ea5;}