ikebana and life in japan

a blog about ikebana and life in japan

4/6/12

Easter Ikebana

Easter. I have such fond memories of the day from when I was a child. Having Easter egg hunts in the yard, falling down the little hill beside the house and all of my goodies falling out of my basket and other kids rushing to take them, picnics at the lake, the joy of finding the eggs with a quarter in it, dying eggs with my mom, going to church, grandma's Easter bunny cake with coconut and jellybeans, and of course, all of the chocolate to be had! It was always a fun day filled with family that I looked to every year.

Here in Japan, Easter is just another day. The country is not a Christian country, so no one really knows about the day. But I think if the Japanese knew how "cute" a holiday it can be -- bunnies, baby chicks, flowers, eggs, chocolate -- they would be celebrating it every year. Lot's of holidays from other countries are observed here, like Halloween and Christmas. Of course, with Christmas, it is just about the decorations and presents for children, but I think Easter would be a big hit here, too. The Japanese love any kind of "cute" they can get their hands on! Anyway . . .

Here's an arrangement I did that would be perfect for Easter. I used bright yellow and pink flowers with a base of green to unify the arrangement. It is in the Circular Form, so it can be viewed from any side, even from the top. A circular form arrangement is a recent form, recent being in the last 20 years, and it is perfect for a western-style home, because it can be placed on a table and enjoyed by everyone sitting around the table.



Circular form viewed from the front. I used five stems of Gerbera Daisy, three stems of pink Sweet Pea, three stems of Solidaster, and three small fronds of Leatherleaf fern.


View from above. Can you see the circular motion of the flowers. The gerbera daisy are the main flowers of the arrangement which set the circular motion in action. The green leatherleaf fern is the base of the arrangement. The leatherleaf fern is also placed in a spinning motion to help with the circular form. I cut the three stems of sweet pea and placed them throughout the arrangement for color and texture.


The view from the right. The white of the container can feel very heavy, so the green of the leaves are placed over the edge to help cover up some of the white.


The back side of the arrangement. Being the back, it's not the nicest looking, but is still pleasing to the eye. The gerbera daisy in the front of the picture is actually the main flower of the arrangement, so it is also the longest stem in the arrangement.


The left side of the arrangement. Green is also placed over the edge to help weaken the strength of the container.


You can also see different heights in the arrangement. This gives the arrangement some added depth and makes it more interesting. You can also see the different heights of the gerbera daisy. The gerbera in the forefront is the shortest, with the length of the stems getting longer as they spin in the arrangement. This is the Spiral Circular Form, a slight variation of the Circular Form. 


View from the front, slightly from above. Here you can also see how the main gerbera daisies gradually extend up into the air and how the length of the gerbera daisies gets longer as the daisies spin up into the air.

If I had some Easter eggs, I would have hidden some amongst the flowers and greenery. I think the bright colors go well with Easter, and the arrangement also works for a western-style home. East meets west in a pleasing form and brings some happiness wherever the arrangement is placed.

Feel free to leave any comments or Easter memories in the comment section.

Happy Easter!

8 comments:

Nora Kay said...

This very much gives me the feeling of Easter. I love all views especially the one from above. We did have many really good Easters in years past. We will have to make an Easter Bunny cake just for you this year. Thanks for sharing such a beautiful ikibani arrangement.

Hideki said...

It's beautiful! I can feel spring:)

Unknown said...

Mom,
I saw all of the cookies you made this year, but did you make the bunny cake? I was always so impressed that grandma could make a cake like that when I was little.
Happy Easter!

Unknown said...

Hideki,
Thanks! I hope spring comes to Hanamaki soon!

The FitzWilliams said...

Love your Easter arrangement! It would have been perfect on our table. :) Some of my favorite Easter memories from our house in Paris (Arkansas) are of the flowers blooming at just the perfect time. Hyacinth, tulips, daffodils, wild violets, azaleas - it was always the perfect back- drop for an egg hunt. I looked around our yard today and not a single flower was blooming. Clearly I have do do a better job for next year - even if it's just go to the store and buy some potted flowers! We still had a great hunt and great Easter day!
Love you- MLW

Unknown said...

Misty Leigh,
All of the flowers blooming just in time sounds beautiful. It seems like they always did where I was, too. Sadly, there are no flowers blooming here! The snow has finally melted around here, although in the mountains there is still snow on the ground and it is still cold. We are supposed to have warmer weather this week, so I am sure that the flowers, trees, and grass will be blooming in no time. I am looking forward to the cherry trees the most. Beautiful!
Hope you and your family are well on your side of the world! :D <3

Anonymous said...

Very pretty arrangement!! Looks like your Easter eggs have already "hatched"---and the little chicks, feathery balls of warm sunshine, are running to and for, exploring the happy spring meadows amid the sweet peas.

I remember decorating Easter eggs, too. We used candle wax from colored candles for decoration---you know, light the candle and just let the wax drip. It was quite messy so I won't recommend it....

I find it amazing that you still have snow!! I love snow and the "idea of the North" as Glenn Gould would say....

John

I find it amazing that you still have snow!!

Unknown said...

John,

I like your comparing the Gerbera Daisies with little chicks. Makes me like this arrangement even more!

Dropping wax on eggs -- I have never heard of that, but it sounds like you could get some very beautiful and unique eggs doing that. I may have to try that out sometime . . .

We have had some very nice days, so all of the snow is gone from around here. Things have started to green up a little, so spring is just around the corner.