Tanabata
is one of the five seasonal festivals 五節句
(gosekku) that were celebrated when Japan was using the lunar calendar but are
still observed after Japan started using the Gregorian calendar on 1 Jan
1873. Tanabata was originally celebrated
on 7 July on the lunar calendar and is now celebrated on 7 July or 7 August (7
July on the lunar calendar roughly falls on to 7 August on the Gregorian
calendar).
Tanabata
is also known as the star festival and has its origins in a famous Chinese
legend. According to the legend, Emperor
Tentei who lived beside the Milky Way (天の川Amanogawa)
had a daughter named Orihime (織姫 weaving princess). She was a weaver who made kimonos. When Orihime came of age, Emperor Tentei
arranged for her to meet Hikoboshi (彦星),
a cowherd who lived on the other side of the Milky Way. It was love at first sight for both Orihime
and Hikoboshi and they were married soon after. The couple enjoyed their married life so
much that they neglected their usual duties.
This angered Emperor Tentei who decreed that the couple were to be
separated by the Milky Way. Orihime was
devastated by her father’s decision.
Moved by Orihime’s grief, Emperor Tentei relented and allowed the couple
to meet once a year on the evening of 7 July only if Orihime worked hard at
weaving during the year. As a result, if
Orihime did not put in sufficient effort in weaving during the year, Emperor
Tentei may make it rain on that day, making it impossible for Orihime to cross
the Milky Way and the couple would have to wait for another year before they
have a chance to meet again.
Today,
people celebrate Tanabata by writing their wishes on small pieces of colourful
paper called tanzaku (短冊),
and hanging them, sometimes together with other *decorations, on sprigs of
bamboo. In line with the legend of
Orihime and Hikoboshi, people usually wish for improved skills and
abilities. After the festival, the
bamboo, along with the tanzaku and decorations are usually set afloat on a
river lighted with lanterns or burned after the festival.
Many
cities in Japan organise Tanabata festivals with colourful displays along their
streets. The most famous of these are the ones held in Sendai (仙台)
and Hiratsuka, Kanagawa (平塚、神奈川).
*If you wish to learn more about the decorations used for the festival, please read our related blog post here.
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