Japan Australia Pages

▼

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Tanabata Star Festival

Tanabata (七夕), which is also known as the “Star Festival” takes place every year on the 7th day of the 7th month. Originating from Chinese legend it celebrates the meeting of the two stars Altair and Vega. According to the legend, the Milky Way, a river of stars that crosses the sky, separates these lovers, and they are allowed to meet only once a year on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month of the lunisolar calendar.

The celebration is held at night and colourful Tanabata festivals are held across Japan in early July and August. One of the biggest and most famous is the Tanabata Festivals of Hiratsuka near Tokyo in July and Sendai in August.

A popular Tanabata custom in Japan is to write wishes on a small piece of paper and hang them on a specially decorated bamboo tree in hope that the wish will come true. The bamboo tree is usually set afloat on a river or burned after the festival, around midnight or on the next day.



 
How to become an English Conversation Teacher
at

8 comments:

  1. linaJuly 5, 2011 at 2:41 PM

    Looks like a fun festival. I've yet to experience it but hopefully someday I can, in Japan! :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Japan AustraliaJuly 6, 2011 at 10:16 AM

    Thanks Lina, it is fun to experience and any festival in Japan is usually really exciting and fun.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Muza-chanJuly 6, 2011 at 4:02 PM

    Happy Tanabata! (^_^)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Japan AustraliaJuly 7, 2011 at 3:11 PM

    Thanks Muza-chan, Happy Tanabata!! 7/7

    ReplyDelete
  5. MelloniserJuly 13, 2011 at 11:27 AM

    Thank you for dropping in a comment for my blog ha ha My wish will surely come true in the near future. How about yours JAPAL-san? (Japan australia) ^_^Y

    ReplyDelete
  6. Japan AustraliaJuly 13, 2011 at 12:51 PM

    Thanks MeLLonHeAd, hope your dream does come true. I hope mine comes true in the near future as well!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. MewJuly 6, 2012 at 1:22 AM

    Definitely one of my favorite stories from Japan. I'd always wondered what the festival was like! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Japan-AustraliaJuly 6, 2012 at 7:11 AM

      Thanks Mew, It is a fun festival and we have already written out our wishes this year and placed them on the bamboo tree. Hope they come true :)

      Delete