When is tanabata day

Children and adults write their wishes on narrow strips of colored paper and hang them, along with other paper ornaments, on bamboo branches placed in the backyards or entrances of their homes. They then pray hard that their wishes will come true.

The Tanabata festival is thought to have started in China. It was transmitted to Japan during the feudal period and combined with traditional local customs to become an official event at the Imperial court. Commoners soon began observing this festival, with different localities developed their own distinctive ways of celebrating.

Traditional decorations and talismans include colorful streamers called fukinagashi that represent threads for those wanting to be better weavers and gossamer amikazari symbolizing wishes by fishermen for full nets. There are also hanging kinchaku bags for prosperity and orizuru folded cranes for longevity. Items are easily constructed from origami and other light, colorful materials.

In the past, ornament-laden bamboo branches were placed in rivers to be carried away by the current as a means of ensuring that wishes would be granted. However, modern environmental consciousness has seen this tradition largely fall by the wayside.

Bamboo is thought to have become a part of the tanabata tradition for its propensity to grow straight and tall, with upward stretching branches bearing wishes to heaven on the wind. The plant was also believed to ward off insects and was displayed to protect rice crops and symbolize hopes of a bountiful harvest.

The long, thin noodles evolved from a woven Chinese sweet known in Japanese as sakubei , whose intertwined strands were thought to resemble both the Milky Way and the weaving threads worked by Orihime. Many parents will amuse their children by topping noodles with star-shaped slices of boiled okra. The timing of tanabata celebrations varies by region. Japan adopted the Gregorian calendar in , placing the holiday on July 7.

The star festival of Tanabata was originally based on the Lunar calendar rather than the Gregorian calendar, meaning August 7 th is actually a more accurate date to celebrate the celestial event.

This means that in some regions, the Tanabata festival takes place in August instead of July. These celebrations are held throughout Japan, with some being smaller, low-key traditions and decorations, where others are large festivities. An important Tanabata tradition involves writing wishes on small strips of coloured paper tanzaku and tying them to bamboo branches.

As the Tanabata legend goes, Orihime and Hikoboshi cannot meet on a cloudy day, so people often wish for clear skies. The bamboo branches are displayed in front of homes, shops, and at various festivals held in celebration. Aside from sharing wishes with the heavens, brightly coloured strips of paper are also used to decorate for the Star Festival. Paper streamers brighten shopping streets and train stations and anywhere the Tanabata festival is celebrated.

Often, these lively and colourful festivals are held in shopping malls and streets, with lots of vibrant streamers and displays. The most famous Japanese festival for Tanabata is that of the Sendai Tanabata festival , which is showered in decorations and features a wonderful firework display.

Since Tanabata celebrations were first introduced to Japan, people began to add their Obon traditions to the day. Obon is a Japanese Buddhist custom whereby they honour the spirit of ancestors, and the Obon festival involves the lighting of paper lanterns that are then sent out to sea.

As a result, some Japanese Tanabata festivals send the bamboo branches down a river or set them alight at the end of the festival.