Ikebana in March
I practiced Ikebana in this March. In most parts of Japan, March is the month when you can gradually feel spring approaching! —though it actually snowed a few times this year!
Firstly, I choose a vase (水盤; suiban). Since I choose a rectangular-shaped one like a box, my sensei recommended I to pour full of water in it!
Sometimes we do this to evoke a feeling of coolness to the viewer’s eyes. (In Japan, we call the concepts 涼; Ryô). This can be seen especially in summer, but it has no strict rules depending on seasons.
☆Flowers with the order to put in (from the center to the edge)
❶ Peach branch with pink buds (In Japanese 桃;Momo) : This symborises March, with the ceremony of Hinamaturi (雛祭り）
❷Yellow tulips
❸Iris (In Japanese 菖蒲; Ayame/Syo-bu)
❹Green chrysanthemum (Bottom of the Tulip)
(In Japanese ピンポン菊; Ping-pong Giku)
I placed this at the base of the tulip to fill in the space. In Ikebana, leaving the bottom area empty is usually avoided.
❺Mimoza (Right-bottom) : Although I had more, I choose to arrange it in just a small bunch for balance. It reminded me of a carnival of Binche, a town in French community of Belgium which is famous for its festival. It is held every year in February or March and the Mimoza has been the symbol of the carnival since 1940, they wear a bunch of the flowers. This was new to me because in Japan, I had never seen the festival which participants wore the same flowers like this…
This time, from start to finish, it took me almost 1hour and a half to get to this form. Choosing a vase from different shapes, cutting and placing flowers and rearranging them a few times took some time…But it gave me the sense of spring, especially the branch of the peach and Mimoza!
Thank you for reading! Have a nice day 😉
Reference: Carnival of Binche