Today is a very special day on the Japanese calendar. It’s Tanabata, otherwise known as the star festival. It’s what I would consider the equivalent of a religious holiday in Japan. Since Christianity is followed by such a small percentage of people, there just aren’t the holidays here with the Biblical contexts here. But, I really like Tanabata, it has a sweet story to it. So I wanted to share it.
A long time ago, Tenkou, the god of the skies, had a daughter named Orihime. All she did was weave cloth for the other gods on her weaving machine, the tanahata.
Tenkou worried, because all Orihime ever did was weave. So, Tenkou arranged for Orihime to meet Hikoboshi, a workaholic and cow-tender on the other side of the Amanogawa (the Milky Way).
When Orihime and Hikoboshi met, it was love at first sight. All they wanted was to be with eachother, and their previous responsibilities. Hikoboshi’s cows became sick, and the gods’ clothing became worn and in need of repair.
Tenkou was furious. He brought Orihime back to the other side of the Amanogawa, and made it so the two couldn’t see each other any more. But both were miserable, so Tenkou made one promise – if they worked hard through the year, they could meet on July 7th. Ever since, both Orihime and Hikoboshi worked hard so they could be together on July 7th.
In the Chinese calendar, July 7th is almost always a half moon, and it’s believed that Orihime and Hikoboshi use this as a boat to cross the Milky Way to be with each other.
Tanabata is the real start of the summer festival season. From now on, there will always be fireworks exploding somewhere in this country. During Tanabata, people tie their wishes to bamboo branches, along with lanterns that bring various types of luck.
This year, I couldn’t go to the festival I wanted to in Hiratsuka for various reasons. I’m poor at the moment, it’s far away, it’s a work night, plus I was feeling awful. Anyone who might be in contact with my parents at the moment would know that summer is not agreeing with me well at the moment. I’ve finally got a fan, which seems to be doing wonders. However, just to be safe, the AC will go back on before bed, just to make sure I don’t get another night like last night.
AND! To wrap this up! HAPPY ANNIVERSARY MOM AND DAD!