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Holiday

🌸 Hanami Color Palette 2018

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.

2017 2018 2019

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.

The 5 colors

RGB (213-175-179)

#d5afb3

A very light, muted red with a quiet presence.

When Graceful Alabaster past Honeying →

RGB (217-196-206)

#d9c4ce

A muted pink: very light, considered, and steady.

When Breezy Breath near Brightening →

RGB (164-220-158)

#a4dc9e

moderate and very light — a green that reads as open.

When New Aurora underneath Radiating →

RGB (190-211-218)

#bed3da

This very light blue sits at the muted end of its family.

Shimmering Breath among the Suffusing →

RGB (219-184-193)

#dbb8c1

muted and very light — a pink that reads as open.

Sparkly Aura up the Blazing →

CSS custom properties

:root {  --hanami-1: #d5afb3;  --hanami-2: #d9c4ce;  --hanami-3: #a4dc9e;  --hanami-4: #bed3da;  --hanami-5: #dbb8c1;}

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