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Tanabata
Matsuri
–
The Star Festival
 Tanabata
is held on July 7 or between July 7 and August 8, to
celebrate the
once-a-year meeting of two lovers. The rest of the
year the two lovers are separated by the Milky Way.
The story is based on a
romantic legend.
Orihime,
weaving princess, the daughter of the Sky King wove
beautiful cloths by the bank of the Milky Way. Her
father loved the cloth that she wove and so she
worked very hard every day to weave it. However, she
was sad that, because of her hard work, she could
never meet and fall in love with anyone. Concerned
about his daughter, he arranged for her to meet
Hikoboshi, Cow Herder Star, who lived and worked
on the other side of the Milky Way. When they met,
they fell deeply in love with each other and were
shortly married. However, once married, Orihime
no longer would weave cloth and Hikoboshi got
his cows to stray all over heaven. The Sky King got
angry and separated the two lovers across the Milky
Way and forbade them to meet.
Orihime
became so sad and asked her father to let them meet
again. Her father was moved by his daughter’s tears
and allowed the two to meet on the 7th day of the
7th month. Orihime worked hard and finished
her weaving. The first time they tried to meet,
however, they found that there was no bridge to
cross the river. Orihime cried so much that a
flock of magpies came and made a bridge with their
wings to help her cross the river. But if it rains,
the magpies cannot come and the two lovers must wait
until next year.
In the summer night
sky, two stars separated by the Milky Way represent
the lovers: Vega, (the weaving princess), and
Altair, (the cow herder star).
During this festival,
one can see freshly cut bamboo branches with long
slips of paper wishes and other colorful
decorations, along shopping malls, streets and homes
across the country.
Tanabata Song
Sasa
no ha sara sara,
nokiba
ni yureru.
Ohoshi-sama
kirakira,
kingin
sunago.
Goshiki no
tanzaku
watashi
ga kaita.
Ohoshisama
kirakira,
sorakara
miteru.
 
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