Tanabata
tanabata japanese たなばた 七夕 meaning evening seventh also known star festival 星祭り hoshimatsuri japanese festival originating chinese qixi festival celebrates meeting deity orihime hikoboshi represented star vega altair respectively according legend milky way separate lover allowed meet year seventh day seventh lunar month lunisolar calendar date tanabata varies region country first festivity begin july gregorian calendar celebration held various day july august festival introduced japan empress kōken originated festival plead skill 乞巧奠 kikkōden alternative name qixi celebrated china also adopted kyoto imperial palace heian period festival gained widespread popularity amongst general public early edo period became mixed various obon bon tradition bon held th seventh month developed modern tanabata festival popular custom relating festival varied region country generally girl wished better sewing craftsmanship boy wished better handwriting writing wish strip paper time custom use dew left taro leaf create ink used write wish incidentally bon held august solar calendar close original date lunar calendar making tanabata bon separate event name tanabata remotely related japanese reading chinese character 七夕 used read shichiseki see explanation various kanji reading believed shinto purification ceremony existed around time shinto miko wove special cloth loom called tanabata 棚機 offered god pray protection rice crop rain storm good harvest later autumn gradually ceremony merged kikkōden become tanabata chinese character 七夕 japanese reading tanabata joined mean festival although originally two different thing example jukujikun like qixi chilseok tanabata inspired famous chinese folklore story cowherd weaver girl version included manyōshū popular version follows orihime 織姫 weaving princess daughter tentei 天帝 sky king universe wove beautiful clothes bank amanogawa 天の川 milky way literally heavenly river father loved cloth wove worked hard every day weave however orihime sad hard work could never meet fall love anyone concerned daughter tentei arranged meet hikoboshi 彦星 cowmancowherd star literally boy staralso referred kengyū 牽牛 lived worked side amanogawa two met fell instantly love married shortly thereafter however married orihime would longer weave cloth tentei hikoboshi allowed cow stray heaven anger tentei separated two lover across amanogawa forbade meet orihime became despondent loss husband asked father let meet tentei moved daughter tear allowed two meet th day th month worked hard finished weaving first time tried meet however found could cross river bridge orihime cried much flock magpie came promised make bridge wing could cross river said rain tanabata magpie cannot come rise river two lover must wait another year meet rain day called tear orihime hikoboshi character orihime hikoboshi called various name different version story festival festival tanabata also known various name human male heavenly female japanese scholar pointed tale tanabata cross character celestial maiden otherwise known japan tennin nyoobo hagoromo comparative scholarship japanese variant point beginning story human male go near lake variety reason prayer god wife vision sent dream grateful animal point way course story human partner reach celestial realm wife family live forced perform task reunite end narrative husband break taboo eat certain melongourd washed away celestial wife separated reunite night july james danandjaja relates japanese tale amafuri otome woman came sky similar tale unmarried mortal man named mikeran withholds kimono bathing lady cannot fly home sky year marry find kimono fly home child mikeran fashion thousand straw sandal reach sky world find wife meet parentsinlaw fatherinlaw force perform task trick human cutting thousand watermelon one day human sky wife know trap anyway washed away flood created watermelon thus meet night tanabata festival human female heavenly male professor masako satō noriko reider provided narrative analysis ancient tale involving human female future consort prince amewakahiko tale otogizōshi genre prince take form serpent marries human woman later reveals heavenly deity named dragon prince time disappears human bride must seek akin graecoroman myth cupid psyche even reaching heavenly realm father oni life end tale lover forcibly separated oni father reunite tanabata noriko reider draw attention second story combination qian luwei tale version human wife father identified qian luwei male deity hikoboshi son bontennō brahma presentday japan people generally celebrate day writing wish sometimes form poetry tanzaku 短冊 tanzaku small piece paper hanging bamboo sometimes decoration see also wish tree bamboo decoration often set afloat river burned festival around midnight next day analogous custom floating paper ship candle river obon many area japan tanabata custom mostly related local obon tradition also traditional tanabata song original tanabata date based japanese lunisolar calendar month behind gregorian calendar result festival held july held day around august according onemonth delay way others still held seventh day seventh lunar month traditional japanese lunisolar calendar usually august gregorian calendar gregorian date seventh day seventh lunar month japanese lunisolar calendar coming year august august august august august august august august august largescale tanabata festival held many place japan mainly along shopping mall street decorated large colorful streamer famous tanabata festival held sendai august kantō area two largest tanabata festival held hiratsuka kanagawa around july asagaya tokyo immediately prior start obon holiday mid august tanabata festival also held são paulo brazil around first weekend july los angeles california beginning august although tanabata festival vary region festival involve tanabata decoration competition event may include parade miss tanabata contest like japanese matsuri many outdoor stall sell food provide carnival game etc add festive atmosphere tokyo disneyland tokyo disneysea often celebrates tanabata festival featuring greeting parade minnie mouse orihime mickey mouse hikoboshi sendai tanabata festival famous japan tanabata celebrated region since time date masamune – first warlord sendai area festival began shortly city founded early edo period tanabata festival gradually developed became larger year although festival popularity started dwindle meiji restoration almost disappeared economic depression occurred world war volunteer sendai revived festival established tradition holding festival august world war ii impossible hold festival almost decoration seen city war first major tanabata festival sendai held featured decoration showa emperor hirohito visited sendai greeted tanabata decoration festival subsequently developed one three major summer festival tōhoku region become major tourist attraction festival includes firework show held august sendai tanabata festival people traditionally use seven different kind decoration represent different meaning seven decoration symbolic meaning ornamental ball 薬玉 kusudama often decorated streamer presentday tanabata decoration originally conceived owner shop downtown sendai ball originally modeled dahlia flower recent year boxshaped ornament become popular alternative ornamental ball since streamer inspired costume twotime olympic figure skating champion yuzuru hanyu display zuihōden th g summit tōyako hokkaidō coincided tanabata host japanese prime minister yasuo fukuda invited g leader participate spirit festival asked write wish piece paper called tanzaku hang tanzaku bamboo tree take necessary action change world better symbolic gesture actual writing act hanging note least first step japanese ministry foreign affair made colored strip paper bamboo tree g wish available roppongi summit protesting organization sapporo g summit also tried use spirit tanabata focus attention somewhat different set wish nongovernmental organization including oxfam care international set online wish petition campaign coincide g summit tanabata outside japan fukudas timely gesture unanticipated consequence example indian nationally circulated newspaper hindu picked festival theme printing editorial featuring unconventional tanabata wish fukuda also invited fellow citizen try turning light house stepping outside enjoy family sight milky way night sky july japanese ministry environment anticipated facility household across japan would switch light symbolic step wish future sekidera komachi famous noh play set tanabata festival mobara tanabata festival qixi festival chilseok japanese festival como michael weaving binding immigrant god female immortal ancient japan university hawaii press accessed june jstor jcttwqcr kid web japan tanabata festival sendainhk