READING TIME: 3 MINUTES.
Tanabata Festival In Edo (Hiroshige, 1852)
Something that I love about Japan is the many festivals we have around the year. To me these are sweet occasions when the old myths and traditions come to life and bring the magic of the past to our modern, not so magical lives. One of my favorite festivals is Tanabata, also known as the star festival that is celebrated on the seventh day of the seventh month, just a couple of days from today. According to a Chinese legend, this is the only day that the two stars Altair and Vega, which are usually separated from each other by the milky way, are able to meet. We can already see the colorful paper decorations Tanabata is known for all around town. Tall sasa bamboo branches are decorated with colorful paper slips, each one carrying a wish: from young children to adults, people write what they wish for and pray that the wish will come true.
Making Tanabata decorations (old print)
Tanabata festival is based on the beautiful legend of two lovers: Orihime (the Weaving Princess) and Hikoboshi (the Cow Herder.) Princess Orihime wove beautiful clothes by the heavenly river, represented by the Milky Way. Because Orihime worked so hard weaving beautiful clothes, she became sad and despaired of ever finding love. Her father, who was a God of the heavens, loved her dearly and arranged for her to meet Hikoboshi, the cow herder who lived on the other side of the Milky Way. The two fell in love instantly and married. Their love and devotion was so deep that Orihime stopped weaving and Hikoboshi allowed his cows to wander the heavens.
Princess Orihime’s father became angry and forbade the lovers to be together, but Orihime pleaded with him to allow them to stay. He loved his daughter, so he decreed that the two star-crossed lovers could meet once a year–on the 7th day of the 7th month if Orihime returned to her weaving. It is said that if it rains on Tanabata, they cannot meet and the two lovers must wait another year to be reunited, so Japanese always wish for good weather on Tanabata.
Tanabata is celebrated all over Japan, but the most famous festival is the Tanabata in the city of Sendai, Miyagi prefecture. It is easily accessible with the bullet train – only an hour away from Tokyo, so if you happen to be in Japan at this time of the year do not miss its spectacular decorations.
* The Spirit of Japan Tours organizes private and group tours to temples and sites where you can experience the richness of Japan’s spirituality and traditions. Please, message us for more information about our future tours.
