Over 1 million visitors will flock to Washington, D.C. to experience the famed cherry blossoms. The trees have become part of D.C. culture each spring, as residents and tourists partake in events like the Cherry Blossom Festival, the Pink Tie Party and the Blossom Kite Festival. The iconic trees were originally a gift from Japan to the United States in 1912 as a symbol of the two countries' friendship/ Two of those trees were planted by First Lady Helen Herron Taft and Viscountess Chinda, wife of the Japanese ambassador to the United States. That small gathering became the origin of the Cherry Bottom Festival, which officially launched 23 years later in 1934. The average lifespan of a Japanese cherry tree falls roughly between 30 and 40 years, depending on variety. Many of the 3,700 trees blooming at the 146-acre park today are offspring of the originals.