Chrysanthemums are special! As November’s flower, it represents the month well adding vibrant colour and beauty to the fall landscape. In addition, these fall flowers are long-lasting and hardy; they will continue to bloom even when other flowers have already faded into obscurity. Plus, they make a tasty floral tea, which will warm you up during those chilly fall days/nights.
And if that wasn’t enough to convince you that chrysanthemums are special, there are festivals around the world, where these flowers are the main attractions. And we aren’t just talking about displaying a bunch of potted chrysanthemums. These festivals feature stunning works of art! It’s no wonder these festivals often attract thousands of visitors annually. Now that’s what I call flower power!
Here are some of the best chrysanthemum festivals from around the world:
Dream Park Chrysanthemum Festival, Ilsan, Korea
Photo credit: http://www.koreaittimes.com/
What was once a landfill is now home to a popular chrysanthemum festival in the city of Ilsan in Korea. Brightly-coloured blooms now fill a field of 860 000 sq. meter, which is 120 times the size of an international standard soccer field. The festival, which usually takes place in October, featured 52 200 works of art made of chrysanthemums. Along with a huge chrysanthemum garden, the festival also featured wildflowers, nature exploring areas and ecological ponds. The festival started in 2004.
Chrysanthemum Festival, Lahr, Germany
photo via zuzafun.com
The city of Lahr in Germany hosts an annual chrysanthemum festival in the fall, typically from late October to early November. The festival is well known for their amazing displays of chrysanthemums, which are arranged into spectacular pieces of art. Visitors can also enjoy flower arrangement classes, musical entertainment, delicious food tastings, arts and much more!
Kaifeng Chrysanthemum Festival, China
photo via http://www.china.org.cn
The Kaifeng Chrysanthemum Festival began 30 years ago and is still going strong today. It is a month long (October to November) cultural celebration, where visitors and citizens of Kaifeng celebrate the official city flower and learn more about the folklore and history of the city. Kaifeng is one of China’s most ancient capital cities, with over 3000 years of history! This year, over 1.6 million pots of chrysanthemums from over 100 varieties were displayed in parks, streets and lanes. Visitors can also enjoy drum dances, folk entertainment, food markets and other events!
Kasama Chrysanthemum Festival, Japan
photo credit: http://www.ibarakiguide.jp/
Japan has a number of chrysanthemum festivals, but this one is the country’s oldest. In 2007, the festival celebrated its 100th anniversary! Chrysanthemums are highly valued in the Japanese culture, so it makes perfect sense that the festival would take place in a shrine, specifically the Kasama Inari Shrine. The main attraction are kiku-ningyo or the dolls made of chrysanthemums.
Longwood Gardens’ Chrysanthemum Festival, Pennsylvania, USA
photo credit: enigmaticmusings.wordpress.com
At Longwood Gardens, a beautiful 4 acre conservatory in Pennsylvania, they host an annual chrysanthemum festival, usually from late October to mid-November. This year, it featured over 20 000 blooms! Horticulture experts have trained the flowers into amazingly detailed designs and shapes, including tall cloud froms, 13-foot arches, ball standards, shields and more! As amazing as those might be, the highlight of the festival is the spectacular “Thousand Bloom Mum, ” which is a chrysanthemum plant with over 1 339 white flowers grown on one stem! It took almost 2 years to train and arrange the plants into the dome shape.
So if you love chrysanthemums and want to see them like never before, be sure to include one (or all!) of these festivals on your bucket list!
