By Jenn Kervian

Tanabata, or the star festival, is celebrated throughout Japan on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, which is actually August on the Gregorian calendar. The festival is originally from China, celebrating the meeting of two lovers, Orihime and Hikoboshi. Following the legend, the Milky Way, or river of stars blocks these two lovers from being together;  they can only meet on one night of the year, the seventh day of the seventh month. Since this is a star festival, most of the activities occur at night, under starlight.

Orihime and Hikoboshi are two lovers personified by two stars who oppose each other for the year. The story follows that Orihime wove beautiful cloth by the “heavenly river” being the Milky Way; her father loved her work so much. Yet her father was sad because he wanted his daughter to experience love. He arranged for Orihime to meet Hikoboshi, the two instantly fell in love and were married. Upon marrying, Orihime stopped weaving and Hikoboshi did not tend to his cowherd. The father was very displeased and banished the two from ever seeing one another again. Orihime cried and begged her father to allow her to see Hikoboshi. Her father relented, saying if she finished her weaving, then every year on the seventh day of the seventh month she could see Hikoboshi.  The first time Orihime and Hikoboshi tried to meet though they found neither could cross the river separating them. Orihime cried so much that a flock of magpies came and promised to make a bridge out of their wings for her. It is said that if it rains on Tanabata the magpies cannot come and the lovers must wait another year to see each other.

The celebration is mostly noted with people writing wishes onto small pieces of paper that are then tied to bamboo, usually with other decorations as well. These wishes and the bamboo are later burned or set to float down river, usually at midnight or the next day. Streamers also decorate the area of the festival, because streamers are believed to be used by Orihime in her weaving.  Another common decoration is the paper crane, which symbolizes family safety, health and long life. Many people in Japan add to the nature of the celebration by turning off the electricity for hours while families look up to the stars in wonder.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanabata

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2283.html

http://www.nihonsun.com/2009/07/02/tanabata-festival-of-star-crossed-lovers/

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