Tanabata!

Japanese Star Festival

たなばた (Tanabata)!

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Tanabata is a Japanese star festival. The celebration is hold on the night of 7th of July.

This festival is inspired by the old and famous Chinese folklore.

The Story of Tanabata.

Orihime (Weaving Princess), daughter of the Tentei (Sky King), wove beautiful clothes by the bank of the Amanogawa (Mlky Way). 

Her father loved the cloth that she wove and so she worked very hard every day to weave it.

However, Orihime was sad that because of her hard work she could never meet and fall in love with anyone. Concerned about his daughter, Tentei arranged for her to meet Hikoboshi (Cow Herder Star) who lived and worked on the other side of the Amanogawa. 

When the two met, they fell instantly in love with each other and married shortly thereafter.

However, once married, Orihime no longer would weave cloth for Tentei and Hikoboshi allowed his cows to stray all over Heaven. 

In anger, Tentei separated the two lovers across the Amanogawa and forbade them to meet.

Orihime became despondent at the loss of her husband and asked her father to let them meet again.

Tentei was moved by his daughter's tears and allowed the two to meet on the 7th day of the 7th month if Orihime worked hard and finished her weaving. 

The first time they tried to meet, however, they found that they could not cross the river because there was no bridge. 

Orihime cried so much that a flock of magpies came and promised to make a bridge with their wings so that she could cross the river. 

End

It`s a very romantic story but unfortunately the day of Tanabata, 7th of July is in the midst of Tsuyu, Japanese rainy season.So...the lovers in the starry sky miss their precious meeting so often. It is said that if it rains on Tanabata, the magpies cannot come and the two lovers must wait until another year to meet.Today it`s actually raining ang I guess this year they can`t meet. 

Japanese people really celebrates this day. They display a bamboo with a narrow strips and they write their wishes on it. This year we decorated our board with origami papers, pokemon pictures and narrow paper stripes. We asked our students to wrote down their wishes in Japanese ang in English as well.  They are so very creative.

This time I have to write my own wish too so here is my wish.

I wish to meet Jang Geun Suk!

More of Tanabata here .