JEEPNEY PRESS Alma Fatagani-Sato

TANABATA By Alma Fatagani-Sato

This festival, which originated from China, was introduced to Japan in 755, by Empress Kōken (the 46th monarch of Japan and later known as Empress Shotoku.

Originally, the date of Tanabata was based on the Japanese lunisolar calendar, and therefore, about a month behind compared with the Gregorian calendar. As such, the celebration of Tanabata varies depending on the region, between July 7th and sometime in August. The celebrations and decorations also vary in every region. The most popular and the biggest one is the Sendai Tanabata Festival.

Tanabata is one of the highlights of Japanese summer. During summer, many areas in Japan looked so beautiful with colorful decorations and lots of food stalls, where you can enjoy tasting different soul foods of Japan. There are also dancing, parades and even fireworks. You can also see many people wearing the Yukata (summer kimono) walking along the streets during the festival. Tanabata is celebrated by writing wishes onto colored rectangular strips of paper called Tanzaku, and tie them onto the branches of a Wish Tree, which is usually a bamboo tree. These wish trees can be found all over Japan decorating streets, supermarkets, stations, etc. Anyone can write and participate in the celebration. There are many legends about the story behind the Tanabata but the most popular one is the story of Orihime and Hikoboshi which is based on the Chinese folktale “The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl”, which is as follows: Princess Orihime, daughter of Tentei (the Sky King), wove beautiful clothes for her father everyday by the bank of the Milky Way (Amanogawa). Her father loved the clothes that she wove, so she worked very hard but she was lonely. Upon noticing, Tentei arranged for her to meet the local cowherd, Hikoboshi, who lived and worked on the other side of the Milky Way.

The two quickly fell in love with each other and got married. However, once married, they both forgot their duties. Orihime no longer weave clothes and Hikoboshi let his cows stray. This angered Tentei and as punishment, he separated the couple and forbade them to meet again. Orihime was heartbroken and asked her father to let them meet again. Moved by her daughter’s tears, Tentei, allowed them to meet on the 7th day of the 7th month, if she worked hard and finished her weaving. However, the first time they tried to meet, they found out that there was no bridge and they could not cross the river. Orihime cried so much that a flock of magpies came and used their wings to make a bridge.

It is believed that if it rains on Tanabata, the magpies could not come and make a bridge, and as such, the two lovers must wait for another year to meet. The rain on Tabanata, is called “The tears of Orihime and Hikiboshi”.

Therefore, if that happens, it is said that your wish could not come true, simply because Orihime and Hikiboshi couldn’t meet. Well, don’t despair, there’s no limit to the number of times you can write your wish. You can write it as many times as you like in the next Tanabata, which comes every year.

Tanabata is also known as The Star Festival since the stars Vega (Orihime) and Altair (Hikoboshi) meet in the night sky on the 7th day of the 7th month in the lunar calendar. The river separating them is the Milky Way and the magpie bridge is the star Deneb.

Hopefully, we could enjoy the Japan summertime festivities next year.

Alma Fatagani-Sato