The Blessing of the Blossoms ceremony has been a tradition on Old Mission Peninsula every year since 1910.

TRAVERSE CITY — Nearly a century-old, time-honored tradition will return in-person ahead of the 2021 National Cherry Festival.

The non-denominational Blessing of the Blossoms service, the origin of the Cherry Festival, took place at 1 p.m. Sunday with Rev. James Bearss of St. Joseph Parish.

It supposedly shows Sheikh Hasina receiving a tilak -- a mark on the forehead considered a blessing that is also used to indicate members of the Hindu faith -- from a priest.

St. Joseph’s Parish on Old Mission Peninsula will host the Blessing of the Blossoms service, the origin of the National Cherry Festival, on May 17.

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